Issue 396 DONT USE

WINDOWS 10
SOFTWARE
The 11 apps you
4 - 17 May 2016 Best software New apps WhatsApp, Doc?
need instead p46

1Where you live 10 Everywhere you go

2What you last bought online
3 Your telephone number
4 Where you work
5 What you search for online
6 Who your friends are
7Where you went to school
8 Who you live with
9 What you look like
11 What emails you open
12 What car you drive
13 Where youve been on holiday
14 If youre having an aair
15 What software youre using
16 What your home looks like
17 Your credit card details
But which can you remove? page 38

P L US

FIND LOST AND Best BitTorrent Tool Ever

DELETED FILES Comes To Windows - Finally!
Use a searchable index p57 Fast & free - and no adverts p54
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 Homepage

Hide yourself from the nosy web

F
acebook is getting on my wick. Its not
just the competitive outpourings of
grief over the latest musician, comedian
or acting legend to die, or even those stupid
quizzes that determine which biscuit/Bay
City Roller/tropical disease you are (I got
leprosy, but I dont think its medically
binding). No, its the constant oversharing of
personal information, from holidays and
babies to meals and bowel movements.
What people forget is that everything you
post online allows the web to build a better
picture of what you do offline, to augment
the data its already sneakily gathering. In
this issues cover feature (page 38), we
reveal the 17 creepiest things companies
including Facebook, Google and Microsoft
know about you, from where you live to
what car you drive. But dont panic we
also explain how to remove this info from
the web and stop them capturing it again.
Thanks again to everyone who submitted
Windows Ten anagrams turn to page 72
to see our favourites.
Robert Irvine
robert_irvine@dennis.co.uk
#webuser

ISSUE 396 4 - 17 MAY 2016 ON THE COVER

5 Things youll
learn this issue
p46
1 How to stop Microsoft
forcing you to upgrade to
Windows 10
page 28

p38 2 How to find out which

add-ons use the most
memory in Firefox
page 31

3 How to back up your

WhatsApp conversations to
Google Drive
page 49

4 How to use Tampermonkey

scripts to add new features
to Chrome
page 64

5 How to remove details of a

Wi-Fi network that you no
longer use page 68

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 FREdrEivver

Contents
S cr e w
Se t

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ISSUE 396 4 - 17 MAY 2016

COVER E
FEATU
R
STOPTHEWEB
STALKINGYOU
Find out how to stop the internet capturing
and exploiting your personal data
p38
See how the Galaxy Tab got on
in our tablet Group Test p20

Picture perfect: the best free

What is a bot? p36 image viewers p44

IN DEPTH Articles on the latest tech topics REVIEWS Apps, sites and products on test

36 FAQ 14 Best New Websites

Our guide to bots We review the best new and relaunched sites

38 COVER FEATURE 20 Group Test

STOP THE WEB STALKING YOU Our tablet test includes the Samsung Galaxy
The essential guide to protecting your identity Tab S2 8.0, iPad Pro, Amazon Fire and more

44 Free image viewers 26 Best Free Software

Enjoy your photos with these handy tools This fortnights most useful free downloads

46 Best apps for Windows 10 30 Best New Browser Tools

Free apps that surpass traditional software Get more from Chrome, Firefox and Opera

48 Secret WhatsApp tricks 32 Best Free Apps

Get more from the worlds top messaging app Our favourite new phone and tablet apps

4 4 - 17 May 2016

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FAVOURITES Must-read regulars
6 Whats New Online
10 brilliant things to do on the web
8 Need to Know
This fortnights top tech news stories
12 Stay Safe Online
Security advice for PC and mobile
18 Build a Better Site
Expert tips, tools and practical help
24 Best Buys
Our pick of the best new products
50 Broadband Deals
Find the best-value package for you
51 Take a Screen Break
Can you guess the emoji book titles?
Practical
Workshops, tips, projects and problem solving
52 Workshop 1
Use free photo plugins in Paint.NET
54 Workshop 2
BitTorrent program Transmission
56 Workshop 3
Halt smartphone picture downloads
57 Workshop 4
Find any le even deleted ones
58 Weekend Project
Fix USB sticks you thought were
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64 Web Users Top Tips
Boost Chrome with Tampermonkey
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Email isnt dead, says Barry Collins
Use the popular BitTorrent tool thats
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4 - 17 May 2016 5
 Whats New Online
Manage your life in Google Calendar
G
oogle has added several new you jump straight
features to two of its most to the most
popular services that, when used interesting
together, should make it easier to articles.
keep on top of lifes events while With a bit of
freeing up time for your personal luck, these handy
projects. Most of these new tools have new features should
been integrated with Inbox by Gmail leave you more time
(www.google.co.uk/inbox) and the to do other things,
most impressive part is the way the and thats where
service now deals with Google Google Calendar for
Calendar events. iOS and Android
Inbox makes a note of any comes into its own.
messages you receive that contain Set a goal such as
details of future meet-ups. It then get fitter and the
brings together all the relevant app asks you when
emails and detects the important youd like to do it and
information, which it displays on a Knowing that so many of us continue to how frequently. It
single page. If the plans change, so do this despite the existence of apps then sifts through your calendar to
does the data, which makes it far such as Pocket, Google has added a find the best slots to work towards
easier to keep on top of whats Save to Inbox feature for links, which this goal. If later it clashes with a new
happening, where and when. brings them together in one place. event, Calendar will reschedule it and
Inbox is also attempting to Similarly, its now easier to keep on top gradually learn the best times to
eradicate the age-old habit of of email newsletters, thanks to a schedule these slots in future.
emailing yourself web addresses. streamlined preview function that lets gmail.googleblog.com

Find the source of Watch live 360-degree

ransomware videos
id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com bit.ly/youtube396
Sadly, ransomware infections are on the rise, with a growing By taking the
number of hackers seeking to encrypt your computers files delights of virtual
and charge you a hefty sum for the key to unlock them. reality and the
Its a nasty crime that underlines the need to back up your growing demand
precious data, but if your computer does become infected, for live streaming
help may be at hand. Upload the ransom note or a sample video and
encrypted file to ID Ransomware and the tool will try to mashing the two
work out which software family the hackers used to lock together, YouTube
it down. It looks set to
will then address one of the internets other obsessions: the fear of
tell you of missing out (or FOMO). YouTube has supported pre-
any known recorded 360-degree videos for more than a year, and it
methods now offers live streams, too, with the potential to make you
and software feel youre actually at an event.
that may There are two ways of experiencing this. You can view the
be able to videos in your browser and use the onscreen controls to
decrypt the look around you, or you can pop your phone into a cheap
files, so you virtual reality headset, such as Google Cardboard, and
can avoid immerse yourself completely. The service kicked off with
paying the some select performances from the Californian music
ransom and festival Coachella (www.youtube.com/user/coachella), but
encouraging as more creators climb aboard, we expect to see the range
criminals. of content widen significantly.

6 4 - 17 May 2016

We highlight 10 of the most amazing and amusing things
you can do on the web this fortnight
Explore the worlds cultural heritage
www.cyark.org/projects
CyArk was set up to create detailed 3D models
of the worlds cultural-heritage sites amid fears
that they could be lost to human destruction
and natural disasters. You can now view CyArks
impressive recreations on this map, using the
timeline slider to see just when each site came
into existence. Models are also organised into
themes, with topics ranging from the Atlantic
Slave Trade to historic cities.
Caption photos
automatically
www.captionbot.ai
CaptionBot, Microsofts latest stab at
artificial intelligence, uses algorithms
to determine the content of an image
and then
generates a
caption that
explains what it
sees. It links to them), it helpfully pulls
doesnt always
get it right it
thought the
gorilla in this
picture was a
dog but by
rating its
accuracy, you
can help the bot learn from its
mistakes. It seems particularly
clued-up on celebrities, which may be
a pointed indication about how its
being used, and hopefully its guesses
will improve over time. See our FAQ
on page 36 to learn more about bots.
View third-party content on iPlayer
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
The BBC is expanding the iPlayer to offer
content from outside the Beeb. It already
includes programming from Welsh-
language channel S4C, and is now
screening coverage from arts and cultural
organisations, too. Starting with a festival
marking the 400th anniversary of William
Shakespeares death, the service will show
six months of digital content that includes
the RSCs production of Richard III.
Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk
Save articles for
later in Chrome
www.google.com/save
A new Chrome extension not only lets
you save any photos you come across
while searching the web, but also
articles you want to read later.
Although its little more than clever
bookmarking (the items you save
remain online and youre simply given
everything together in one place and
lets you add tags and notes.
Additionally, if you use Googles
note-taking tool Keep, its updated
Chrome extension (bit.ly/keep396)
lets you save entries there too.
Whats New Online
5 TO FOLLOW
ON TWITTER
@StarTrekRoom
This is the official account for the
writers of the new Star Trek series
@breakingcatnews
Billed as the news cats trust, this
offbeat account delivers updates
for moggies
@MetroUKNews
The free newspaper has opened a
new Twitter account to promote its
daily content
@atlasobscura
Off on your travels? Discover the
worlds hidden wonders and read
interesting articles
@AppleNews
Apple is now delivering curated
content from its news partners
Read along with the Bard
bit.ly/bard396
Sir Ian McKellen says we shouldnt
read Shakespeare but should enjoy
his plays at the theatre instead. This
site gives you the best of both
worlds, as you can watch a
performance of King Lear while
reading each line as its spoken.
Listen to Google Play Music
podcasts
play.google.com/music
As well as suggesting tunes to suit
your mood, Google Play Music now
recommends podcasts, too
(currently US only). Choose from
categories including Laughing Out
Loud and Learning Something New.
GIF anything on your Mac
giphy.com
If you own a Mac and you see
something onscreen that would
make a good animated GIF, Giphys
new tool lets you create it instantly.
You can then add stickers and text
before sharing it on social media.
4 - 17 May 2016 7
 Need to Know
Ad blockers blamed for
breaking the internet
What happened?
More of us are now using ad blockers
when we browse the web, but new
research suggests that such tools could
be adversely affecting more than just
websites ad revenue. Tech firm Oriel
(bit.ly/oriel396) tested the 100 most
popular sites in the UK, and discovered
that ad blockers not only took out
pop-ups and advertising but also broke
other parts of web pages so the content
didnt display correctly. This included
check-in screens for airlines and
checkout systems for online shops, the
report noted.
Although turning off your ad blocker
and reloading the page would fix the
problem, it might require you to log in
again or navigate back to the problem
page. Whats more, its not always clear
when parts of a page are missing or
broken, so it may seem to the visitor as
if the site has been poorly designed
when in fact its the victim of an
overreaching blocker. The research
tested 24 different ad blockers, and
found problems across the range of
tools, from breaking parts of pages to
removing content that isnt advertising.
Oriel said blocking such elements
constituted censorship, because it is
interfering, changing and potentially
censoring web content but its worth
noting that Oriel creates advertising
technology, so it has a stake in this fight.
Ad blocking has become very popular
of late, as web users grow increasingly
frustrated with the proliferation of
Oriel says ad blockers have a detrimental
effect on the content of webites
8 4 - 17 May 2016
invasive and irritating ads. Apple finally
allowed blocking tools on the iPhone
and iPad last year. These developments
have led to widespread concerns that
websites, publishers and other
companies will no longer be able to
make money online.
How will it affect you?
If youre using an ad blocker such as
Adblock Plus or uBlock Origin, be aware
that it may cause problems on certain
sites. If a page doesnt look right or
something isnt working as it should,
dont jump to conclusions and blame
the website. Instead, either turn off your
ad blocker or disable it for that domain,
then reload the page. If youre trying to
make a purchase, you may have to
restart the process from the beginning.
Its worth bearing this problem in
mind when youre buying time-sensitive
items, such as tickets for a popular
event. Rather than risk the frustration of
losing your place, it may be a good idea
to turn your blocker off or pause it
before you start.
Although the makers of ad blockers
need to be more careful about
overzealous blocking, there is no reason
to stop using a blocker if it appeals to
you. Aside from speeding up page-
loading times and filtering irritating ads,
they can also protect you against
malvertising, which tries to use
advertising technologies to hack your
PC. Instead of uninstalling your ad
blocker, simply turn it off from time to
time, especially when making important
transactions.
What do we think?
Ad blockers are controversial for a host
of reasons, most notably because they
prevent websites from earning the
revenue that keeps them in business.
Indeed, thats more likely to break the
web than a few missing elements on a
page. If theres no money in putting
content online, less of it will be made,
which is another reason to learn how to
better control your ad blocker. If you
turn it off for specific web domains, you
can allow ads for the sites you want to
support while blocking them on sites
you dont know or trust, or those that
use particularly annoying ads.
There are downsides to removing ads
and downsides to displaying them. Ad
blockers neednt stop you seeing all
advertising they simply give you
control over when and where you
choose to see them. That said, the
developers behind ad blockers need to
ensure they dont break websites.
Dodgy blocking only gives those who
oppose the technology more
ammunition in the debate about the
effects of ad blockers on websites. This
seems counterproductive given that
their raison dtre is to make the web
more enjoyable and faster to use.

What we think of this fortnights top tech news stories and rumours,
and how they affect you
Opera adds free VPN
to its browser
What happened?
Norwegian developer
Opera has added a built-in
VPN (virtual private
network) to its browser,
just weeks after
introducing an ad blocker.
Similar VPN tools are
available for other
browsers, such as Chrome
and Firefox, but Opera has
removed the hassle of
looking for and installing a
secure, reliable add-on.
The move comes after
Operas purchase of VPN
extension maker SurfEasy
in 2015. The VPN is free,
requires no registration
(you can turn it on and off
with a click) and provides
unlimited data usage. Its
currently available in the
developer build of Opera
(v38), and will come to the
stable version very soon.
How will it affect you?
Why use a VPN? One major
benefit is that it lets you
choose which country your
IP address appears to be
based in. Thats handy for
accessing country-locked
web content such as
shows on the US version of
Netflix that havent made
their way to the UK yet as
Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk
well as giving you greater
privacy and security. Many
businesses require staff to
use a VPN when logging
into the network from
outside their headquarters.
VPNs also let you visit
sites that are blocked. In
the UK, thats usually
limited to illegal sites
such as those promoting
hate, or offering child-
abuse images or pirated
downloads but in other
countries governments
block everything from
Facebook to BBC News.
What do we think?
Opera is once again
leading the way for
browsers. This may seem
a small move after all,
you can get VPNs for other
browsers but making one
available by default should
encourage the use of such
security and privacy tools
by people who otherwise
wouldnt be aware they
existed. Thats particularly
important for Opera users
although the browser has back up
a tiny 2% share globally,
its used by millions of
people in Indonesia and
Russia, which are known
for blocking sites.
Need to Know
Web host deletes
customers sites
What happened? have known, and one that
Thousands of customers many of its customers have
of web-hosting service learned the hard way.
123-reg (www.123-reg Putting the lost websites
.co.uk) were affected by back online is easy if the
a catastrophic coding owners have backed them
flaw that deleted their up elsewhere. If not, theyre
data. The UKs largest out of luck. If 123-reg had
hosting provider lost data backed up the data, or the
from 67 servers, wiping users had done the same,
out customers entire this would have been only
business websites because a minor problem.
it didnt have backups.
Its not clear what What do we think?
caused the fault, but users 123-reg stressed that the
who tried to log in during affected service isnt
the incident were directed managed by the
to the wrong accounts, company itself, and that
allowing them to see anyone who paid for a
private data from other backup service will have
companies. 123-reg has had their websites restored
taken the unusual step already, but thats cold
of referring itself to comfort for anyone who
the Information entrusted the hosting
Commissioners Office provider with their website.
(ico.org.uk), the UKs data Its astonishing that
watchdog, over this aspect 123-reg hadnt backed up
of the fault. its own systems, but of
course many of us know
How will it affect you? we should do this and still
As we were going to press, dont bother. Backups are
123-reg was working with a boring, but let this be a
data-recovery specialist in reminder to put them on
an attempt to retrieve as your to-do list, whether its
much data from the wiped your small business
servers as possible, but website, online photo
many affected websites album or personal blog.
were still
offline.
Whether
or not youre
a 123-reg
customer,
the incident
is a good
reminder to
your data
its a
lesson
123-reg
should
4 - 17 May 2016 9
 Need to Know
EU accuses Google of abusing its power
What happened?
The European Union (EU) issued formal
antitrust charges against Google over
its Android operating system and its
suite of preinstalled apps.
The EUs commissioner for
competition, Margrethe Vestager, said
that Google had abused its dominant
position and reduced competition in
the mobile software market by forcing
handset manufacturers to bundle its
own apps with their devices at the
expense of others.
A competitive mobile internet sector
is increasingly important for consumers
and businesses in Europe, said
Vestager. Based on our investigation
thus far, we believe that Googles
behaviour denies consumers a wider
choice of mobile apps and services and
stands in the way of innovation by other
players, in breach of EU antitrust rules.
The charges specifically claim that
Google has restricted competition by
pressuring manufacturers to include
apps such as Gmail, Google Search and
Google Play on their devices. There
have also been allegations, which
Google denies, that it pays companies
to preinstall its apps and stop them
using rival services.
Google objected to the EU
Commissions claims, saying the
manufacturers enter its partner
agreements voluntarily. It also pointed
FIRST LOOK
HTC Vive
www.htcvive.com/uk
Not all virtual reality (VR) is created
equal. Most VR headsets on the
market so far have used your
smartphone in some way most
notably Googles Cardboard initiative
and Samsungs Gear VR headset.
However, your phones mobile
graphics hardware simply isnt
powerful enough to provide a truly
convincing VR experience. Thats why
the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift both
require hulking great gaming PCs to
power them. As well as a big desktop
PC, the Vive has further requirements
that make it even more of an
enthusiast product. For starters, it
costs a whopping 689, but more
importantly its unique feature full,
room-scale VR that lets you move
10 4 - 17 May 2016
out that Android phones come with
apps from Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon
and other companies installed.
How will it affect you?
If the EU Commission wins its case, new
Android phones may come without
many familiar Google apps installed and
ready to use. Youll still be able to install
them from the Play store for free, but
youll be able to choose which you
download. Many Android owners
currently use Googles apps simply
because theyre installed and
prominently placed on their home
screens. Of course, you may prefer
Googles tools to those of other
companies, in which case you may
around freely in 360 degrees requires
a sizeable playing space. Then theres
the extra hardware (and cabling) you
need to set up to track your movements.
Admittedly, the worlds most
advanced virtual-reality headset was
probably never designed for casual
consumers. Its precisely what VR
enthusiasts have been waiting for,
however, and it delivers in spades.
Having the ability to move and wave the
Vives two controllers around like hands
regard the EUs charges to be causing
unnecessary inconvenience.
What do we think?
Googles apps are popular for good
reason theyre easy to use, well
designed and work seamlessly with one
another but lots of equally good tools
from other companies are being
deprived of attention by Googles
dominance. Its handy to have your
favourite Google apps at your disposal
as soon as you switch on your new
phone, but we should be able to choose
alternatives. As with Microsofts
anti-competitive behaviour over Internet
Explorer, its hard not to feel that
Google is getting too big for its boots.
is really quite extraordinary. Its one
thing to be able to look around a
virtual space and operate your virtual
avatar with a gamepad, but the ability
to walk through it, lean over its
precipices and throw your limbs every
which way to evade its dangers is
really quite magical.
For the technology to have any
chance of success, however, Vive
must start making a more compelling
case with a bigger range of advanced
software. Only a couple of games
Job Simulator: the 2050 Archives and
Fantastic Contraption are what
youd recognise as full, retail-style
releases, but unless you really like
puzzle games or dont mind replaying
Job Simulators handful of levels
several times, youll be hard-pressed
to fill your time until the next big wave
of games arrives later this autumn.
 Need to Know

WHATS THE RUMOUR

WEBOMETER
Is Chrome no longer safe
on XP and Vista? WE LIKE...
EE promises 95% 4G
coverage by 2020
Google has ended support The BT-owned mobile
for older operating phone network
systems with the rollout of currently offers 4G
its latest version of services to 60% of
Chrome the worlds most the UKs landmass,
popular web browser. and has now
As of Chrome 50, announced plans to
Windows XP, Vista and increase this figure
older versions of Mac OS to 95% by 2020.
X will no longer receive
Chrome updates or Chrome OS to get
security patches, although Android apps
the browser will continue After a Reddit user spotted
to function as normal. Any an option labelled
new vulnerabilities Enable Android apps
discovered in the browser to run on your
will not be fixed for users of those although Vista will continue to Chromebook,
operating systems, which means there is receive security patches until 11 April rumours that Google
greater potential for their computers to 2017. Microsoft also ended support plans to merge
be infected by viruses and malware. for versions 8, 9 and 10 of its own Chrome OS and
Along with Windows XP and Vista, Internet Explorer browser in January. Android have
the specific versions of OS X that are no However, Firefox and Opera are gathered momentum.
longer supported include OS X 10.6, still supported on XP and Vista.
10.7, and 10.8. Google announced last
November that it would be ending WE DONT LIKE...
support for the browser on these LIKELIHOOD RATING File sharers face 10 years
operating systems. in jail
If you are still on one of these Its clear that Google has stuck to The UK
unsupported platforms, we encourage its guns about ditching support government

you to move to a newer operating
system to ensure that you continue to
receive the latest Chrome versions and
features, said Googles director of
engineering, Marc Pawliger.
Microsoft and Apple have both ended
support for these older versions of
their respective operating systems,
10
for Chrome on XP and Vista. plans to
You can continue to use the increase the
browsers on those old operating maximum
systems, but we wouldnt sentence for years
recommend it because theyre online
likely to become prime targets copyright
for hackers and malware writers. infringement
to 10 years imprisonment,
despite widespread concerns
that such punishments are

Whats new on Kickstarter

not feasible.

Our favourite new project on the crowdfunding site Amazon snubs

non-Prime customers
Amazon UK held a sale of several
Pictar popular PlayStation 4 games
bit.ly/pictar396 | From $70 (48) including
Grand
Many of us now use our phones as our primary cameras, Theft
but even the best iPhones cant rival the stability and Auto V
quality of a DSLR unless, that is, you invest in a Pictar. This innovative camera and
grip gives you a secure hold on your iPhone, even when youre using it with one Battlefield
ld
hand, while offering easy access to physical controls. These include a sensitive Hardline, during which
shutter button, a programmable zoom ring and an exposure compensation these products were
wheel, as well as a smart wheel that lets you switch between different modes available only to customers
and a selfies button. The team hopes to raise $100,000 (69,500) by 27 May. with a Prime subscription.

Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 11

 Stay Safe Online
News about the latest threats and advice from security experts

SECURITY ALERT! | Whats been bothering us this fortnight

Apple pulls support for
QuickTime on Windows
Apple has
confirmed that
it will no
longer support
QuickTime for
Windows,
following reports
of serious security
vulnerabilities
threatening the media-playing
software. Security firm Trend Micro
released an urgent blog post
recommending that Windows users
of QuickTime uninstall the software
as soon as possible. It claimed
Apple would no longer be supporting
the video player, and notified readers
of two new security holes that had
been identified.
Although Apple made no formal
announcement about ending support
for QuickTime on Windows, it
updated its support page dedicated
to the software on Wednesday 20 April
to say: QuickTime 7 for Windows is no
longer supported by Apple.
QuickTime has been a fixture for
Apple on Windows PCs for many
years; iTunes used QuickTimes video
player functions for some of its own
media, including video content
purchased from the iTunes Store.
Apples decision to pull the plug on
its support for QuickTime on Windows
has also affected other software makers
such as Adobe, which rely on some of
its codecs.
bit.ly/quicktime396
New Qbot malware is tougher
to destroy
Security researchers have discovered a
new strain of the Qbot malware that is
hard to find and difficult to remove. The
malware has already infected over
50,000 PCs globally, according to
research by BAE Systems, which
discovered it at the start of the year after
an attack on a public body that left
500 computers infected.
Researchers managed to analyse the
new strain and found that a number of
modifications had been made to the
original Qbot malware to make it
harder to detect and intercept. These
included a new shape-changing or
polymorphic code, which meant that
each time the malwares code was
issued by the servers controlling it, it
was compiled afresh with additional
content, making it look like a totally
different program to researchers
looking for specific signatures. The
malware can also detect if it is being
looked at in a sandbox environment
a tool that antivirus programs use
to spot malware before it reaches
users inboxes.
bit.ly/qbot396

Security Helpdesk | Your questions answered by security specialists

THIS ISSUES EXPERT:
Paul Fletcher, cyber
security evangelist
at Alert Logic
(www.alertlogic.com)
Why arent web
Q
advertisers
doing more to
prevent malvertising?
Jon Patterson, Twitter
problem with
malvertising has
more to do with
because most users dont update obviously of no use
browser and plugin
settings. Delivering
dynamic content to
every browser and a
variety of plugins (such as
Java or Flash) is a difficult
task. Malicious attackers
know that browser and
plugin security is more of a
user responsibility and that
users respond differently
to adverts.
Advertising networks
could do more to protect
their customers, but that
content in the first
Malvertising is still a problem place (which is
to advertisers).
their browsers and plugins in a Users can help
timely manner by disabling plugins
(but probably wont
intelligence into its code and because it disrupts their
not run any ads if the browser web-browsing experience)
and plugin settings dont and by being willing to use
meet a certain standard. other browsers with the
Malvertising is still a proper updates (although
problem because of possible again, that changes the
zero day threats to browser- web-browsing experience
based plugins. Also, most and takes time and effort
users dont update their on the users part). Finally,
browsers and plugins in a users can switch to
timely manner. This means browsers that currently

A
Advertising means each user would need the best way to fix the support sandboxing
networks can only to help fix the problem. The problem is either to prompt technology, such as
do so much, advertising network could the user to update their Chrome, Internet Explorer
because the biggest build browser and plugin settings or not to deliver the and Edge.

12 4 - 17 May 2016 Email us your security questions at webuser@dennis.co.uk

 WWW.ESET.CO.UK/HOME/MUTI-DEVICE

ONE FOR ALL,

ALL FOR ONE!

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FOR THE PRICE OF 1
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 Best New Websites
Site of the Fortnight
NEWS RELAUNCH

iNews
inews.co.uk
Formerly an offshoot of the Independent,
the i newspaper was sold to Johnston
Press in February, and it now has an
online version. While some papers merely EXPLAINERS
paste their latest edition on the web, In-depth articles and videos about
iNews stresses the brief in daily briefing, the hot topics of the day
presenting stories in a bite-size format.
The five essential stories of the moment
appear at the top of the homepage,
above an at-a-glance grid of the rest of
the news. We love this no-nonsense
approach, which is complemented by an
attractive, smooth-scrolling design that DISTRACTIONS
takes you straight to the next article Amusing videos,
when you reach the bottom of the page. quirky quizzes
Its a triumph of style and simplicity. and offbeat
news stories
Our rating

RELAUNCH
TECHNOLOGY

Chromebooks
Find Yours
bit.ly/chromebooks396
Not to be outdone by Microsoft, Google
NEW has updated its Chromebook site to help
TECHNOLOGY you find the perfect model. Thats the
Windows 10 Demo theory, at least, because the new section
simply provides details of the latest
bit.ly/windows396 Chromebooks and lets you filter by
Want to try Windows 10 without risking an upgrade or installing a virtual machine? manufacturer, screen size and type
Well, youre in luck, because Microsoft has launched an online emulator that shows off (laptop, desktop or convertible). True,
its key features in your browser. Select an option from the menu on the left, such as you get a brief description of each
Meet Cortana, Browse the web or Have more fun to view further options, each of model, but no direct comparisons. Even
which plays a video on the right. We like the fact that you can switch between PC, the promising Make The Switch section
tablet and phone, and the range of features covered is impressive. However, the video tells you nothing practical other than
quality is too poor to see clearly whats going on, and its a shame you can only watch which Google tools you can use to
demos rather than actually interacting with Windows 10 to get a proper feel for it. replace Microsofts and Apples.

Our rating Our rating

14 4 - 17 May 2016 Reviews by Robert Irvine


We review this fortnights best new and relaunched websites and
rate them for content, design and features
NEW
PHOTOGRAPHY
Lens Lab
www.lenslab.co.uk
Photography equipment can be pricey,
especially if you only use it once or
twice, which is why Lens Lab is such
a great idea. The site lets you hire
cameras, lenses, tripods and other
gear for as many days as you need.
You can also swap your equipment
for something new, loan it or sell it for
some extra cash. Lens Lab is easy to
use (although the grey text on the black
navigation bar is barely legible) and
offers a good selection of equipment
to buy as well as borrow. It also hosts
photography meet-ups and walks, so
you can try the gear before you hire it.
Our rating Our rating
Tell us about your website via webuser@dennis.co.uk
OPINION
All the views
from i
columnists and
analysts, and
its editor
NEW
DATING
Country Loving
www.country-loving.co.uk
This punningly named dating site from
Country Living magazine offers a place
to find rural romance, relationships and
friendship. Adorned with a photo of a
pretty field (albeit one that seems to
have had a body dumped in it), it feels
more upmarket than many dating sites
and is aimed at people aged over 45. Its
free to join and search, but youll need to
pay to initiate a conversation. It also
offers such features as two-way
matching and blocking of unsavoury
types. Oddly, our default search was set
to Germany, but the site seems to have
lots of UK members already.
Our rating
Best New Websites
NEWSLETTER
Sign up to the newsletter to get
the daily briefing in your inbox
NEW
TECHNOLOGY
Drones Direct
www.dronesdirect.co.uk
So, what are you flying these days? A DJI
Phantom, perhaps? Or a Parrot Bebop? If
you dont know what were on about,
propel yourself to this site, where youll
find dozens of delightful drones to fulfil
your aerial dreams. Choose from camera
drones and racing quadcopters, and buy
accessories such as backpacks and
goggles. Certain models even come with
a free 7in tablet. Prices range from 60
to 4,500 (for the Drone Wedding
Proposal Package), and delivery is free
on orders over 50. You can view videos
of some of the drones in action, but
customer reviews would be welcome.
4 - 17 May 2016 15
 How can I watch US Netflix on my
Q television using my Chromecast?

A Page 43, Issue 385

2015
BACK
ISSUES
DISC
ON SALE NOW

Visit bit.ly/webusercd15
or search for webuser disc on Amazon

You can still buy our 2014 Back

Issues Disc from bit.ly/webusercd
24 00 - 00 Month 2016
bit.ly/w
 Best New Websites

NEW RELAUNCH RELAUNCH

HEALTH BROWSERS TRAVEL

Mydentist Add-ons for Firefox Telegraph Travel

www.mydentist.co.uk
Going to the dentist tends to be
something we need to do rather than
want to do, but at least this site makes
booking an appointment painless. You
can find Mydentist practices in your area
by searching for a postcode, town or
city; clicking Use my current location; or
browsing by region. Each entry includes
opening times, the names of clinicians,
contact information and a map, as well
as details of NHS and private treatment
costs. You can book an appointment
online in surprisingly few clicks, and find
your nearest emergency surgery. Its a
beautifully presented site and covers
more than 650 practices nationwide.
addons.mozilla.org
Remember when Mozillas repository of
Firefox add-ons was last redesigned? No,
neither do we, but according to the
Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) it
was 2011, so its high time the site had a
lick of paint. The redesign is more
cosmetic than content-led, retaining
familiar elements such as the lists of
Featured, Most Popular and Up-and-
Coming extensions, and Mozillas Pick of
the Month. The fresh blue colour scheme
is complemented by more modern fonts,
although we find these make the links
down the side of the page harder to
read. Still, the overall approach seems to
be: if it aint broke, dont fix it. exclusive offers from its travel partners.
www.telegraph.co.uk/travel
Following the relaunch of the Telegraphs
main website (reviewed last issue), the
Travel section has been suitably spruced
up and streamlined. Indeed, it now
focuses so heavily on images that the
only words on the homepage are the
article headlines and category names,
which makes the site visually appealing.
You can now search the site (a glaring
omission before) to access thousands of
hotel reviews, recommendations of
things to do (from experts and users)
and more than 150 destination guides.
Naturally, theres a commercial element
and readers of the Telegraph can enjoy

Our rating Our rating Our rating

NEW
TECHNOLOGY

Live-Smart
www.live-smart.co
From a necklace that hears what you
eat to a toilet night light that helps
you aim in the dark, this site reports on
RELAUNCH and reviews the latest smart devices.
CULTURE Live-Smarts impressively eclectic mix
Museum of London of content is organised into categories,
including Smart Home, Health &
www.museumoflondon.org.uk Fitness and Wearables, and updated
The Museum of London may be one of the capitals less heralded cultural venues several times a day. Its not particularly
mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith admitted he doesnt know where it is but this incisive some articles read more like
fantastic new website should put it firmly on the map. You can browse the museums promotional puff pieces than hands-on
nine free galleries via an interactive timeline, which takes you from Roman London tests but it makes effective use of
through the Medieval Era, Great Fire of London and various wars, up to the Olympics photos, videos and screenshots for
in 2012. Each gallery includes a slideshow of high-quality photos to give you a flavour illustration, and does a good job of
of its exhibits. You can also book tickets for exhibitions and plan your visit online. If explaining the innovative technology.
the museum lives up to the promise of this gorgeous site, youre in for a treat. The future never seemed so accessible.

Our rating Our rating

Tell us about your website via webuser@dennis.co.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 17

 Build a Better Site
Specialist tips, top tools and practical help

Top Tips of the Fortnight Web-building Helpdesk

Big changes to Xara Web
Designer
Web Designer 365 (bit.ly/
xara396), the latest version of
Xaras page designing software, is
now a subscription service,
although you can still use the
program when your subscription
expires. Keeping up your
subscription lets you access
Xaras online tools and get the
THIS ISSUES EXPERT:
version for beginners, with fewer Darren Lavender,
tools, for 34.99. Existing users Network Operations at
can upgrade from 24.99. Planet Hippo (www.planethippo.co.uk)
Personalised WordPress.com
sites get more secure I want to build a site that will
Q
You can now add HTTPS security get Googles attention. Is it
to all WordPress.com-hosted better to use a CMS like
websites, even if your site has its WordPress or hand-code an HTML site?
own domain name. HTTPS Matt Kemp, via email
security was added by default to

latest features as theyre released.
This new version brings the
software up to date with design
trends. It has 30 scrolling effects,
including parallax scrolling (which
creates a 3D effect by scrolling
the background slower than the
foreground), and sticky navigation
bars that keep your menus
onscreen all the time. The online
tools include the Online Designer,
which lets you tweak your site
while youre away from your PC.
The Premium version costs
69.99 but theres an entry-level
all sites that used yoursite.
wordpress.com domains in 2014
but if you opted to upgrade to a
more personal domain name, you
had to sacrifice the extra security.
This has now been fixed. For more
information, see bit.ly/https396.
Deal of the Fortnight
Names.co.uk (www.names.co.uk) is
offering 20% off its Starter hosting package.
It comes with 50GB of space and unlimited
bandwidth for 4.79 per month.
A
It doesnt matter which you choose.
More important is that your SEO is
well configured: your keywords
should be relevant, with no spamming, and
there should be no duplicate content.
Google likes pages to have a valid SSL
certificate. Fast hosting helps, too, as speed
plays a part in Googles ranking and, while
not proven, we hear that hosting in the same
country as your target market is beneficial.
While HTML is more secure, WordPress
gives you more options (as plugins) for
setting keywords, adding metadata and so
on, which can benefit your Google ranking.

MINI WORKSHOP | Make changes to lots of WordPress posts in one go

Better Search Replace: bit.ly/bsr396 | 10 mins | WordPress website
Changing one element on a lot of WordPress posts can be a daunting prospect. Instead of launching each post
in the Dashboard and changing it manually, use a handy search and replace plugin to do the job automatically

2 2
3 1

2
3

1
3
1 4

1 From the menu in your WordPress

Dashboard, select Plugins and click
the Add New button. 1 Type better
search replace into the search box
2 and click the Install Now button 3
for the Better Search Replace plugin.
Click on the Activate Plugin link.
2 Back up your database before you
run a search and replace, as the
process is irreversible search the Add
New plugin page for WordPress
Database Backup. The Better Search
Replace interface is under the Tools
menu. 1 Type the text you want to find
into the first box 2 and the text you want
to replace it with in the second. 3
3 Select the relevant database table
from the list. This is wp_posts 1 if
the text is in the main content of your
pages. If its in a custom field, it may be
in wp_postmeta 2 instead. To avoid
mistakes, tick the Run as dry run box
3 to test the search. Then, when youre
sure youre ready, click the Run Search/
Replace button 4 to complete the task.

18 4 - 17 May 2016 Email us your website building questions at webuser@dennis.co.uk

 Group Test
We test and compare the latest products

Tablets
With the new 9.7in iPad Pro tempting us to empty our wallets,
its a good time to survey the current tablet landscape to see
whether Apples latest is the best device to spend your cash on

T HOW WE TESTED
ablets are the perfect
device for when you dont
want to sit at your computer,
but nor do you want to be confined
to a cramped smartphone screen.
With the release of the new 9.7in
iPad Pro, tablets are getting more
powerful and more sophisticated,
but just because its the latest
device to hit the shelves, that
doesnt necessarily mean its the
right thing to buy.
In this Group Test weve gathered
together a selection of our favourite
current tablets, encompassing a
variety of shapes, sizes and prices.
If you want the cream of the crop,
you can expect to have to pay a lot
for it, but its worth looking at
smaller, more affordable devices,
too. These may not have the specs
of an iPad Pro, but they can deliver
a fantastic tablet experience at a
fraction of the price.
We used a range of benchmarks to test each
tablets performance, including Peacekeeper
(peacekeeper.futuremark.com), Geekbench
(www.primatelabs.com) and GFXBench
(gfxbench.com). We measured battery life
by looping a video at a screen brightness of
170cd/m2. To gauge screen quality, we
measured the maximum brightness, contrast
and number of visible colours it displayed.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 | 238.95 | www.simplyelectronics.net VERDICT

FEATURES

PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

When designing the 8in Galaxy Tab S2, We think 8in is a bit of a
Samsung must have decided that the best sweet-spot for tablets,
way to beat its main rival Apple was to as it provides a
meet it head-on in every respect. The Tab bigger-screened
S2s screen is the same size and resolution
ex
experience than a
as that of the iPad Mini 4, and it launched
smartphone but is still
at the same price. However, you can now
get the Samsung model for about 80
small enough to feel truly
less than its rival. mobile. Of the Android
Its build quality is excellent it feels options, the Samsung
tough, with absolutely no flex, despite the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 is at the
fact that its the thinnest tablet in this top end of the price scale
group. This has a tangible impact, as the but is still 80 cheaper
device feels incredibly thin and light, and than an iPad Mini 4. Its
is a real pleasure to hold. It doesnt have built to last, too, with a
the big screens of some of the other sturdy exterior, a good
tablets weve reviewed here, but you wont
screen and enough
lose any detail its resolution is the same as that 4,182 was second only to the iPad
battery and performance
of the larger iPad Pro 9.7in. It also follows the Pros. In use, it was beautifully smooth when
iPads 4:3 screen ratio, which is less popular with browsing web pages, although we experienced
power to keep you going
movie buffs but is arguably better for scrolling occasional pauses when zooming in, and the now and into the future.
through websites, thanks to the increased depth tiniest hint of a delay when responding to
it offers in landscape mode. swipe gestures.
We tested its performance with a variety of The Tabs battery life is impressive at 14 hours
benchmarking tools (see How We Tested, above). seven minutes in our video-playback test, which
Its browser-based Peacekeeper score was 1,012, places it third in this group and only a few
only fourth in this group but respectable enough. minutes behind the best. Its a great result for a
It fared better in Geekbench, where its score of tablet of any size, let alone an 8in model.

20 4 - 17 May 2016
 Tablets Group Test

Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 | 149.99 | shield.nvidia.co.uk VERDICT

FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY

Nvidias Shield Tablet K1 is marketed as a For 150, there are very

gaming device, but non-gamers neednt be few tablets as powerful or
put off by that. Its a second-generation as flexible as the Shield
Nvidia tablet and, although similar to the Tablet K1. Its aimed at
first, is significantly cheaper. Some of this
gamers and has a few
price reduction is accounted for by the
extras that owners of
removal of accessories that were bundled
with the first version, including a stylus
Nvidias PC graphics cards
and a power adapter. might enjoy, but its just
The device now comes with just 16GB of as well suited to general
storage built in, but you can add more users. Nvidia has made a
through its microSD card slot, and the few compromises to keep
tablet merges it intelligently and the price down, such as an
seamlessly with the tablets own. It runs the uninspiring design and
latest Android 6.0, so is perfectly up to date. For a 150 tablet, the the lack of handy
A few of its features will appeal specifically to Shield K1 has a brilliant screen with a accessories, and its
PC gamers. You can stream games to the device decent resolution and good colour reproduction.
16:9-ratio screen isnt the
for a monthly subscription of 7.49, and those The contrast is a little limited but still good
best for web browsing in
with compatible Nvidia cards can also stream PC enough given the price. It also has some of the
games from their own computer to the device. best speakers weve heard on a tablet. When
landscape mode, although
The K1s gaming credentials were most evident watching movies or listening to music, you wont its ideal for movies.
in our performance benchmarks. It did well in necessarily need to reach for your headphones
our GFXBench tests, achieving an offscreen to get decent sound from this device.
score of 1,961 second only to the iPad Pro. Its The rear camera is a little disappointing at only
Peacekeeper score pipped the Samsung Galaxy 5 megapixels, and at the same resolution the
Tab S2 to third place but it fell behind its 8in rival front-facing camera is over-specified. They take
with a fourth-place Geekbench score of 3,554. good shots outdoors in plenty of light, though.

iPad Pro (9.7in) | 499 Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 | 124.98

www.apple.com/uk www.ebuyer.com
FEATURES PERFORMANCE
MANCE FEATURES
PERFORMANCE

EASE OF USE VALUE FOR MONEY EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY

The new 9.7in iPad is the Lenovos

Len tablets have all been
best tablet Apple has unu
unusual shapes and this latest
ever made, and the mod
model is no different. Its
best tablet you can integrated
int stand is bulky, and you
currently buy. It hasnt
nt cant
can unclip it to leave a typical flat
won the Web User tablet,
tab but it has its benefits its
s a
Gold Award, however, firm
fir handle when youre holding g the
because its just so tablet
tab in one hand, it provides room
expensive, especially if for a larger battery and includes es a
you want the peripheralsals too (and if you hin
hinged stand that holds the device vice up
dont, theres a strong argument for buying the older and now ver
very sturdily. Theres only one
cheaper iPad Air 2, starting
rting at 349, instead). The base price camera but its on a rotating hinge nge so
of 499 for a 32GB model rises to 707 if you include the you can flip it round either way.
Pencil and Keyboard cover. The screen isnt as vibrant as that of Samsungs Gold
Having said that, for performance its a long way ahead of Award-winning tablet but at just over half the price its good
any of the other devices we reviewed here, with a enough, and leagues ahead of the much cheaper Android
Peacekeeper score of 5,417, a Geekbench score of 5,221 and Fire. The same is true of its performance, which bettered the
an offscreen GFXBench score of 3,170. Its battery life is the Amazon Fire in our tests but wont worry the other devices.
only disappointment at eight hours and 56 minutes it falls Its battery life, however, was the best of all the tablets we
well behind most of the Android tablets we reviewed. reviewed, lasting for 14 hours and 49 minutes in our tests.

VERDICT
VERDICT

The latest iPad is beautifully made and tramples over its rivals for performance, Lenovos Yoga Tab 3 has an unusual but functional design and is good enough
but it has a price to match. It isnt bad value, and those who can afford it wont for the price, but its performance isnt outstanding. If you want more than just
be disappointed, but there are better-value alternatives that will still impress. good battery life, Nvidias tablet is a better bet for a similar price.

Discuss this review at forum.webuser.co.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 21

 Group Test Tablets

Google Pixel C | 399 Asus ZenPad 8.0 | 146.15

store.google.com www.stuff-uk.net
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE

EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY
EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY

The Pixel C is a less expensive On first impressions the Asus

option than the 9.7in iPad Pro for ZenPad appears to be
those who want a larger screen extraordinarily good value. It
and an optional keyboard. With a looks great, with a metal and
10.2in screen, a base price thats plastic design where most
100 less than Apples and a similarly priced tablets use
keyboard that costs 119, you plastic alone. At this price you
get a lot more for a similar price. get just 16GB of storage, but
Its battery lasts longer, too, at 14 you can use the microSD slot
hours and 33 minutes in our tests. to add more.
Its Peacekeeper score was the second best in our tests, It also has an impressively high-resolution display, which
although at 1,572, its some way behind the iPads 5,417. Its matches the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the 9.7in iPad Pro at
Geekbench score of 3,976 was third. 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. Sadly, this screen appears to drain the
The downside is that the keyboard clips onto the screen battery. In our tests, the device lasted for just six hours and 39
in landscape mode, and some Android apps are still not minutes, which is the worst performance in this group test.
designed to flip out of portrait mode a legacy of its phone Its shortcomings are compounded by low scores in our
origins. Android 6.0 runs beautifully, but unlike the iPad Pro, benchmark tests, with a mediocre Peacekeeper score of
this tablet doesnt quite feel like a laptop replacement, 938 and a Geekbench score that places it in the bottom
despite its large screen. half of the group (2,311).

VERDICT
VERDICT

The Google Pixel C is a great tablet at a reasonable price, especially compared The ZenPad 8.0 looks the part and is tempting at the price, but it doesnt have
with the iPad Pro. If one thing stops it in its tracks, its that some developers are the performance power to back its showy exterior, whether youre looking at the
still ignoring the different resolutions and ratios that a tablet app needs. overall speed of the device or the life of its battery.

Acer Predator 8 | 199.99 Amazon Fire | 50

www.currys.co.uk www.amazon.co.uk
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY
EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY

The Predator 8 is another tablet We think youll be surprised when

aimed at gamers, and its angular
design is more aesthetic than
functional. Its four speakers can
blast out sound at an impressive
volume, though, making this
one of the loudest tablets weve
tested. The screen is superb, and
although it doesnt have the highest resolution
for its size, it has brilliant colour and good contrast.
Android 5.1 feels nippy, but the Predator 8 fell behind its
cheaper Nvidia rival for performance, remaining in the middle
of the group in all our tests. It has a few gaming-specific
features, including touch-feedback, although we found this
more effective while typing than when playing games.
Theres some justification for charging more for this model
than similar tablets in that it comes with 32GB of storage as
standard and a microSD card slot for adding more. Its not
enough, though, and we think Samsung and Nvidia offer
better Android tablets in this test.
you first see the 50 Amazon Fire.
Its a 7in tablet and is remarkably
good looking for the price. Turn it
on, however, and its downhill from
there. It feels slow, for a start,
coming last in all our tests, and we
wouldnt recommend you try to
play modern games on it. Even in the Peacekeeper browser
test it scored just 283, whereas most of the other tablets we
tested managed four figures. Its battery isnt as bad as that of
the Asus Zenpad 8.0, lasting eight hours and 43 minutes, but
its nowhere near as good as its other rivals. The screen has a
very low resolution (1,024 x 600 pixels) and the colours and
contrast are disappointing.
It comes with Amazons own operating system installed,
which is based on Android but only provides access to
Amazons app store. Youre also limited to using the built-in
browser, Silk, which will annoy savvy web users who are
aware that better alternatives are available.

VERDICT
VERDICT

Acers tablet does a lot of things well and has one of the best screens weve seen It looks like a bargain at first glance but the Amazon Fires low price is indicative
on an 8in Android device, even with its lower resolution. However, its of a low-quality product. Its slow, and youre stuck with Amazons own
performance doesnt live up to those of rival devices from Samsung and Nvidia. software, which isnt as good as the Android OS that runs inaccessibly beneath it.

22 4 - 17 May 2016
 Tablets Group Test

Samsung Nvidia Appl

Apple Lenovo Google
Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 Shield Tablet K1 iPad Pro 9.7in Yoga Tab 3 Pixel C
WEBSITE www.samsung.com shield.nvidia.co.uk www.apple.com/uk www.lenovo.com pixel.google.com
PRICE 238.95 149.99 From 499 124.98 From 399
BUY FROM www.simplyelectronics.net shield.nvidia.co.uk www.apple.com/uk www.ebuyer.com store.google.com
PROCESSOR Octa-core 1.9GHz + 1.3GHz Quad-core 2.2GHz Nvidia Apple A9X chip with 64-bit Quad-core 1.3GHz Octa-core 1.9GHz Tegra X1
Samsung Exynos Octa 5433 Tegra K1 architecture, M9 Qualcomm Snapdragon
coprocessor 212
SCREEN SIZE 8in 8in 9.7in 8in 10.2in
SCREEN RESOLUTION 2,048 x 1,536 pixels 1,920 x 1,200 pixels 2,048 x 1,536 pixles 1,280 x 800 pixels 2,560 x 1,800 pixels
SCREEN TYPE AMOLED IPS IPS IPS IPS
FRONT CAMERA 2.1 megapixels 5 megapixels 5 megapixels 2 megapixels
REAR CAMERA 8 megapixels 5 megapixels 12 megapixels 8 megapixels 8 megapixels
STORAGE 32GB 16GB 32GB, 128GB or 256GB 16GB 32GB or 64GB
MEMORY CARD SLOT MicroSD MicroSD
WI-FI 802.11ac 802.11n 802.11ac 802.11n 802.11ac
BLUETOOTH Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.2 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0
WIRELESS DATA OPTION 4G (287.95) 4G (from 599) 4G (205)
(PRICE)
OPERATING SYSTEM Android 5.1 Android 6.0 iOS 9.3 Android 5.1 Android 6.0
BATTERY SIZE 4,000mAh 5,197mAh 7,306mAh 6,200mAh Approximately 9,000mAh
DIMENSIONS 199 x 135 x 5.6mm 221 x 126 x 9.2mm 240 x 170 x 6.1mm 210 x 146 x 7mm 242 x 179 x 7mm
WEIGHT 389g 390g 437g 420g 520g
WARRANTY Two-years return-to-base Two-years return-to-base One-year return-to-base One-year return-to-base One-year return-to-base

OUR VERDICT

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is our

favourite tablet at the moment
and wins our Gold Award. Its
ust
cheaper than the iPad Mini 4 but just
as good. It performed well in our tests
and has a superb battery life and a
high-quality screen.
If you want to spend even less money,
the Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 is our Silver
Award-winning recommendation. Its not
as nicely designed and were less
enamoured with its 16:9 ratio screen, but
its great value for money.
Speaking of money, if you can afford it,
Apples new 9.7in iPad Pro is currently the
best tablet you can buy, and wins our
Bronze Award. Its vastly superior to its
rivals in many respects, but its also very
expensive, and our other award-winners
offer much better value.

Discuss this review at forum.webuser.co.uk

o.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 23
 Web Users Best Buys

Web Users Best Buys

Web User and its sister titles test over 2,500 products every year

HARDWARE
TABLET WINDOWS 10 LAPTOP
W!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 NE Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14
239 from www.simplyelectronics.net 179.99 from www.currys.co.uk
Date tested: April 2016 Date tested: April 2016

This is the best compact Android tablet currently available. The Cloudbook 14 is as good a laptop as youll get for less
Its light and incredibly thin, which makes it a real pleasure than 200. Its not particularly fast and doesnt have a
to hold, and offers excellent battery life, a high-quality brilliant display, but its fantastic value, especially because it
screen and smooth scrolling when youre browsing the web. includes a years subscription to Office 365 Personal.

KEY SPECS KEY SPECS

8in screen 2,048 x 1,536 pixels resolution 1.9GHz + 1.3GHz Dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3050 processor 2GB of
octa-core processor 32GB of storage 3GB of RAM memory 32GB SSD 14.1in non-touchscreen 1,366 x 768
8-megapixel rear camera, 2.1-megapixel front camera pixels resolution 1 x USB 3, 1 x USB 2 port 802.11n Wi-Fi
802.11ac Wi-Fi and 4G 135 x 199 x 5.6mm 389g 339 x 235 x 17.9mm 1.6kg One-year return-to-base

SMARTPHONE COMPACT PC
Samsung Galaxy S7 Acer Revo One RL85
569 from www.samsung.com/uk 269.99 from www.ebuyer.com
Date tested: March 2016 Date tested: January 2016

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is a better phone than the S6 its The Acer Revo One RL85 has plenty of
camera and performance are improved and it adds storage storage capacity and provides room for easy
expansion and disaster-proofing. Fast, sleek and capable expansion at a later date. Performance is respectable and
its a beautiful handset thats a delight to own. the compact PCs unorthodox design is attractive and clever.

KEY SPECS KEY SPECS

5.1in screen Octa-core 2.3GHz processor Quad HD Dual-core 1.7GHz Intel Core i3-400SU processor 4GB of
resolution 32GB of storage microSD slot for up to 200GB memory 500GB hard drive 2 x USB 2 ports, 2 x USB 3
expansion Android 6.01 Marshmallow 12-megapixel rear ports Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi Windows
camera 3,000mAh battery Dust- and water-resistant 8.1 One-year return-to-base warranty

WIRELESS ROUTER NETWORK CAMERA

Netgear Nighthawk X4S Y-cam HomeMonitor HD
259.99 from www.currys.co.uk 150 from www.homemonitor.me
Date tested: December 2015 Date tested: June 2015
All prices correct at time of review

The Netgear Nighthawk X4S will boost your network, no This isnt the cheapest security camera,
matter what type of web connection you have. Its expensive, but its unique online-storage option will
but built to last, and should make further upgrades save you money in the long run when saving
unnecessary until the next 802.11 standards are launched. captured motion-detected footage online.

KEY SPECS KEY SPECS

Dual-band 2.4GHz, 5GHz 802.11ac 2.53Gbps theoretical Apps for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Roku 1/4in CMOS
max speed ADSL2+ and VDSL 5 x 10/100/1,000Mbps sensor Viewing angle: horizontal 80, vertical 45, diagonal
Gigabit Ethernet ports Dual-core 1.4GHz processor 87 1,280 x 720 pixels resolution 15fps frame rate
285 x 185 x 50mm One-year return-to-base warranty Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi 85 x 85 x 30mm 1150g

24 4 - 17 May 2016
24 27
 Best Free Software
DISK DEFRAGMENTER

Smart Defrag 5
bit.ly/defrag396
Min requirements: Windows XP/
Vista/7/8+/10
File size: 8.8MB

When you first use a new hard drive,

everything you install or copy onto it is
laid out in neat, contiguous sections. As
the drive fills up, however, the amount
of free space diminishes, and when you
move and delete data, your files end up
being spread across different sections
of the drive, which makes accessing
them that little bit slower.
Defragging your hard drive can
deliver some speed benefits by
reordering the contents to ensure that
any data that should be grouped
together is together. Windows comes files to the fastest areas of the drive automatically applies the most suitable
with its own built-in disk defragmenter, where they can be accessed more defrag method for different drives.
but Smart Defrag is a much more quickly. It also offers a special Trim Other useful features in the updated
powerful alternative, with intelligent option for SSDs, which shouldnt be version include Large Files Defrag and
features that can move frequently used defragged in the same way as a Game Optimize. The latter is designed
mechanical hard drive. to reduce game loading times and
The latest version of Smart Defrag improve performance. Smart Defrag 5
benefits from a new defrag engine and can even defrag Registry files before
supports multi-threading for much startup, as well as other files that cant
speedier defragmentation. The be changed while the system is running.
developer, IObit, says version 5 is 50 As you might expect, the interface
percent faster than Smart Defrag 4 and has had a makeover, too. It is now more
significantly quicker than Windows 10s colourful and offers better compatibility
own defrag tool. The software with high-resolution displays.

MINI WORKSHOP | Speed up your PC using Smart Defrag 5

1
3
2 2

1 2
1

4 4
4
3
3

1 When you launch Smart Defrag, it

scans your PC for available drives
and displays a coloured tile for each
one it finds. 1 You can choose which
drives to include. 2 Click Smart
Optimize 3 and the program gets to
work. Hovering your mouse over the
arrow to the right of this button
reveals alternative choices. 4
2 If youve selected multiple drives,
Smart Defrag will optimise them in
sequence. 1 SSDs are Trimmed for
better performance (the process tells
the SSD which blocks of data are no
longer considered in use so they can be
wiped). 2 You can pause or stop the
process 3 and set the program to shut
down your PC when finished. 4
3 Smart Defrag can also optimise
Windows apps 1 and any other file
or folder you choose. 2 The tabs
along the top 3 give you access to the
Game Optimize, Boot Time Defrag and
Action Center features. This last one
lets you install and run other IObit
programs. Click the hamburger button
4 to customise the software.

26 4 - 17 May 2016
 Best Free Software

This fortnights top new software downloads to help you make

the most of your PC, and theyre all FREE

New Windows Apps

Lego Juniors: Create & Cruise

bit.ly/legojr396
Min requirements: Windows 10
File size: 93.2MB
This app for four- to seven-year
-olds lets children create their own
Lego vehicles and mini figures.
They can also collect coins to
unlock virtual Lego sets, and
there are no in-app purchases
for parents to worry about.

SYSTEM TOOL
Diskovery
bit.ly/diskovery396
Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 226KB

Diskovery provides detailed information about all the drives installed in and
connected to your PC. Theres no need to install the program simply launch it, and Send Anywhere
it will list every storage device and volume it finds, presented in a column on the bit.ly/sendanywhere396
left. Click an entry to see some general information, such as the drive type, capacity Min requirements: Windows 10
and vendor, as well as its health and temperature. Diskovery also reports the status File size: 1.8MB
of partitions, and tells you how long the drive has been in action. Send Anywhere is a cloud-based
file transfer service that lets you
send files securely from one device
to another. You dont need to sign
up for an account to use it, and
theres no limit on file sizes.

PDF TOOL
PDF Reducer Free 3
www.orpalis.com
Min requirements: Windows XP/
Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 16.8MB
This handy tool reduces the size of PDF
documents by removing unused objects
and resampling images. The publisher
claims it can shrink the file size by up to
80%, and you shouldnt notice any
difference in quality. The latest version
has received a performance boost and
is now twice as fast as its predecessor.
Be warned that the free edition displays
an annoying timed nag screen that asks
you to upgrade to the paid-for version.
MIGRATION TOOL
EaseUS Todo PCTrans Free 9
bit.ly/pctrans396
Min requirements: Windows XP/
Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 5.1MB
Todo PCTrans lets you move files
easily from an old PC to a new one.
Simply connect two computers over
the same wired or wireless network
and follow the instructions in the wizard.
The latest update lets you copy data
and applications to other partitions on
your PCs, and the interface has been
redesigned so that its easier to use. It
now supports the transfer of even
more programs, too.
Audiotica
bit.ly/audiotica396
Min requirements: Windows 8+/10
File size: 21.8MB
This attractive music player and
downloader can import your music
collection and play streamed music,
with support for Deezer, Last.fm,
Spotify and SoundCloud. It even
displays lyrics, which is great for
those who like to sing along.

Recommend free downloads at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 4 - 17 May 2016 27

 Best Free Software
SYSTEM TOOL
Never10
bit.ly/never396
Min requirements: Windows 7/8+
File size: 81KB

As Web User readers will be aware,

Microsoft has taken to pushing Windows
10 aggressively to users of Windows 7
and 8.1, making the new operating system
a recommended update and, in some
instances, even starting the upgrade
process automatically without warning.
If you really dont want Windows 10, or
youd rather decide for yourself when to
perform the upgrade, give Never10 a try. Its
very easy to use simply run the program and
it will tell you whether or not Windows 10 OS
upgrade is enabled. If it is, click Disable
Win10 Upgrade, to block it. You can reverse
this easily if you ever change your mind.

WEB BROWSER
Vivaldi
vivaldi.com
Min requirements: Windows 7/8+/10, Mac OS
X or Linux File size: 37MB

The new browser from the former CEO of

Opera has been available in beta for a while,
but now Vivaldi has hit the magic 1.0 release.
Its built around the Chromium engine, as used
in Chrome and Opera, which ensures it renders
pages properly and means you can install and
run Chrome add-ons. A new first-run wizard
helps you set up the browser the way you want
it, and you can change the position of the tab
bar as well as the Start page background.
Features include stackable tab groups, a
collapsible side panel and a Speed Dial page
with thumbnails of your favourite sites. Vivaldi
also offers Quick Commands (keyboard
shortcuts) and mouse gestures.

FILE MANAGER
Multi Commander 6
multicommander.com
Min requirements: Windows XP/
Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 7.1MB

Windows has a reasonably good built-in file

manager, but better third-party tools are
available, such as Multi Commander. This
programs dual-panel layout makes copying
files between folders much easier, and tabs
along the top give quick access to multiple
locations. The program is highly customisable,
and the latest version makes big
improvements to the file-colouring system
(you can assign colours to different file types)
and the search function.
Multi Commander has two search dialogs: a
simple one and another for advanced
lookups. More than 280 changes have been
made to the program since version 5.9.

28 4 - 17 May 2016
 Best Free Software

Dont install... ...Install this instead

GAME
Rollovski
bit.ly/rollovski396
Min requirements: Windows XP/
Vista/7/8+/10 or Mac OS X
File size: 22.5MB
Rollovski is actually an old prototype
game for Nintendo 3DS, which
mobile developer Simogo has
decided to dust off and release for
PC and Mac. You control a small,
round, limbless detective as he
infiltrates a strange hotel that has
only circular rooms. Its very odd and
quite basic, but fun nonetheless.
JRiver Kodi
MediaCenter kodi.tv
www.jriver.com Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10,
Min requirements: Mac OS X or Linux
Windows XP/Vista/7/ File size: 79.2MB
8+/10, Mac OS X or Linux
File size: 27.2MB Whether youre a refugee from Windows Media
Center or new to the idea of using your PC for all
Microsoft shelved Windows your entertainment, Kodi is the best free media
Media Center, but that centre available. Its compatible with lots of file
doesnt mean you should formats, so you should be able to play anything,
have to pay to replace it. and it can stream your files to other devices.
JRiver charges $49.98 You can customise the interface with hundreds
(35.22) for features you of user-created skins and dozens of plugins for
can get for free elsewhere. tasks such as streaming content from iPlayer and
Its MediaCenter isnt a bad YouTube. Playing your own files is just as easy,
program it lets you enjoy and Kodi is constantly being updated to make it
music, films, TV shows and even smoother and faster.
photos in one place but
why pay to watch content
thats free to stream?

UPDATED | New tweaks and fixes for your favourite free programs

SYSTEM CLEANER RECOVERY TOOL SYSTEM TOOL PRIVACY TOOL

System Ninja 3.1.3
singularlabs.com
Min requirements:
Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10
File size: 2.2MB
System Ninja removes junk
from your PC, including
temporary files, internet
cookies, thumbnail caches
and more. This update
introduces the ability to
search scan results, and
improves Firefox and
Chrome cache cleaning. It
also adds support for the
Cyberfox browser.
OMEI OneKey
Recovery 1.5
www.aomeitech.com
Min requirements:
Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10
File size: 25.2MB
OneKey Recovery creates a
recovery partition containing
all your installed programs
and settings, which you can
use to get a failed system up
and running again. The new
version adds support for
encryption and compression
during backup and lets you
customise the interface.
Windows Repair 3.8.6
bit.ly/winrepair368
Min requirements:
Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10
File size: 20.1MB
Windows Repair can help
you overcome a host of
problems with a misbehaving
PC. The new version fixes
various problems, including a
bug that caused controls on
windows to resize incorrectly
when minimised. Various
code improvements have
been made to this latest
version of the software, too.
PrivaZer 2.49
privazer.com
Min requirements:
Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10
File size: 7.3MB
This privacy tool is
designed to remove all
references to everything
youve ever opened,
watched, downloaded,
deleted or said on your PC.
The new release improves
cleanup scheduling and the
creation of restore points,
as well as support for
Media Player Classic.

GET FREE SOFTWARE FIRST subscribe to Web User at subscribe.webuser.co.uk

Recommend free downloads at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 4 - 17 May 2016 29

 Best New Browser Tools
C
CHROME

Track and unsend Gmail attachments

Have you ever emailed someone a photo and then
realised a few seconds later that perhaps it wasnt as
amusing as you thought? If so, youll appreciate a Chrome
extension for Gmail called Digify (bit.ly/digify396), which
not only lets you see when an attachment has been
opened but also lets you recall or unsend the file. To
use Digify, install the add-on, connect your Google
account and compose a message as usual. When youre
ready to attach a file, click Digifys red paperclip button at
the bottom of the email and select the item
from your hard drive, Google Drive or
Dropbox this can be an image, PDF, text
document or spreadsheet. Send the email
as usual, then click Digifys toolbar button
to view statistics about the attachment
such as how many times its been viewed,
who by and for how long and to unsend it.
Digify is free to use, but there are also
paid-for options with extra features, such as
watermarking files, setting expiry dates and
times, and disabling email forwards.

Cross timezones on your
New Tab page
In recent issues, weve recommended
Chrome extensions that transform your
New Tab page with pretty pictures, but
sometimes you might prefer something
more practical, such as todays date or
the current time in Hong Kong. Step
forward CaretTab (bit.ly/caret396),
which tells you the date and time for
your location and two other time zones
of your choice. You can customise the
add-on to display only the information
you want; change the colour of the
background and text; and show or hide
the date and seconds. CaretTab also
provides a big search box, which you
can set to use Google or Bing.
Turn online text into
cat-related puns
Cats may account for 80% of all
photos and videos on the web [citation
needed], but what if they could
write content, too? A new Chrome
extension called Text to Cat Puns
(bit.ly/catpuns396) answers that
purr-ning question by converting words
in online articles into moggy speak. Just
click the cat button on your toolbar
and the page will be kittied out with
a-meowsing puns, including headlines,
stories and category headings. Thus
we can see that Tesco has returned to
purrofit, follow the Royal coupawle
around India and learn how Donald
Trump made his furtune. Its not
particularly clever, but could cheer
you up if youre feline bored.
Be warned about fake
Download buttons
Adverts that disguise themselves as
Download buttons are among the
worst things about the web, so were
pleased to see that Google is now
tackling them through Chromes
built-in Safe Browsing tool. When
you click or type a link to a website
that contains misleading Download,
Install or
Update buttons,
Chrome
displays a red
warning page
that reads
Deceptive
site ahead
and lets you
click a Back to safety button to
return to the previous page. Thats
the theory, at least we were able
to visit several software sites that
are renowned for featuring fake
Download buttons (were looking
at you, Download.com) without
triggering the warning page.
However, Safe Browsing is certain
to become more sophisticated
as time goes on, so well give
it the benefit of the doubt.

30 4 - 17 May 2016
 Best New Browser Tools

This fortnights most useful tips and add-ons to help you get the
most from Chrome, Firefox, Opera and more

F
FIREFOX OTHER BROWSERS
Click back and forth
Check how much memory more easily

your add-ons are using

Once upon a time, there was a handy
Firefox tool called about:addons-
memory, which let you see which
add-ons were using the most
memory so you could disable or
remove the biggest hogs. Sadly, it
stopped working from Firefox 33
onwards, so were delighted that
some bright spark has updated the
tool to work with the latest version
of the browser (46, at the last
count). The logically named
about:addons-memory 2016 (bit.ly/memory396) works in the same way as its
predecessor. After youve installed it, type about:addons-memory into your
address bar and press Enter to view details of how much memory each add-on is
using. The information is presented as an amount (in megabytes) and a
percentage of total memory usage, and can prove very illuminating.
Make the web easier to
read at night
There are plenty of add-ons that
prevent eye strain when youre using
your computer late at night, but weve
yet to see one thats
as simple and
effective as Owl
(bit.ly/owl396).
When youre
viewing a web page
thats making your
peepers sore and
dry, click the owl
button on your
toolbar to invert the colours so white
backgrounds become black, for
example, while black text becomes
white. If this doesnt soothe your vision,
click the arrow next to the owl and
choose Use Classic theme on this
website to apply different colours. By
default, Owl retains the same theme for
every site you visit unless you select
Disable Owl for this website. You can
turn the inversion theme on or off
quickly by pressing Alt+Shift+D on your
keyboard, or activate Owls Classic
theme by pressing Alt+Shift+C.
Design interface to most of its
Android apps and some of its web
services, including Google Drive, the
Play store and Inbox. If youre eager
to see how the remainder of Googles
tools look with the new design, install
Ink for Google (bit.ly/ink396). This
Firefox add-on which is also
available for Chrome (bit.ly/
inkchrome396) and Opera (bit.ly/
inkopera396) brings Material Design
to several popular Google services,
including YouTube, Gmail, Calendar,
News and Search. The changes are
more noticeable on some sites than
others, but the add-on gives Google a
fresh look, at least until it performs
the Material Design updates itself.
BEFORE
All browsers have Back
buttons, but theyre usually quite
small and awkwardly located in
the top-left corner of the
window. Of course, you can
press the Backspace key on
your keyboard to go back a
page, but that
doesnt always
work. An easier
solution is to
use the new
Opera extension
Big Back
Button (bit.ly/
bigback396),
which turns the left-hand side of
your screen into one large
navigation button. Click the left
edge with your left mouse
button to move back a page or
right-click it to go forward.
Try the new
extensions for Edge
In Issue 394s cover
feature about Windows 10s
new tools (bit.ly/webuser394),
we grumbled that there were
still only three extensions
available for its Edge browser.
Since then, several more have
been released or at least
announced, bringing the total
to 10. The new extensions
include Pinterest, Adblock Plus,
LastPass, Amazon Assistant
and Microsofts own OneNote
note-taking tool. At the time
of writing, you need to be a
Windows Insider to try the
Edge extensions, but once
theyve been added to the
stable release of Windows 10,
youll be able to install them
from the Windows Store.

Apply Material Design

to Google tools
Since 2014, Google has slowly been
applying its cleaner, smarter Material AFTER

Tell us your favourite add-ons at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 4 - 17 May 2016 31

 Best Free Apps
App of the Fortnight
SYSTEM TOOL NEW MINI WORKSHOP
Boost+ Speed up your Android device
bit.ly/boost396 using Boost+
Min requirements: Android 5
Size: Varies by device

Over time, your phone and

tablet can become weighed
1 As soon as you
download and launch
Boost+, it tells you how full
1

down by memory-hogging your phone or tablet is 1

processes, junk files and and how much of its 2
other clutter youre more memory (RAM) is in use. 2
likely to associate with a Tap Settings 3 and then
slow PC than a sluggish tick Smart boost to clear
phone. But your mobile background memory
device is just a small automatically.
computer, which suffers
similar ailments and needs
similar treatment to get 3
the best out of it.
Boost+ is a new app
from mobile maker HTC
that promises to get your
Android phone or tablet not
just HTC devices working like new, or closer to it. Like
CCleaner and Clean Master, Boost+ works by identifying
2 Tap the Boost icon to
find out how much
memory you can clear with
1

and disabling or removing apps, files and processes that one tap. 1 Tick each of the
slow down your device. This junk includes caches, apps you want to boost,
temporary files and apps that run unnecessarily in the then tap the lightning icon.
background, whether youve launched them or not. 2 This doesnt remove the
Boost+ also includes an uninstaller that lets you sort apps. The Clear junk icon
apps according to memory usage, size or the last time you on the main screen lets you
used them, and remove multiple apps at once. You can set blitz cache files, app
passcodes for apps that contain private data. installers, temp files and
At its most basic, Boost+ works as a one-tap storage and advertising junk.
memory check. When you launch the app, it takes a
moment to calculate and display storage information and 2
memory. We found that our Moto X was a space-busting
91% full, and while its memory usage
was a more reassuring 55%, we
werent running any other apps. So
what was using all that RAM?
In our Mini Workshop (right), we
3 Youll get a bigger
performance boost by
clearing apps that hog
1

show you how to find the hidden
culprits and then limit or remove
them. Apps soon go back to
hogging memory again if you let
them, so well also show you how to
keep background app usage to a
minimum by far the most
effective way of keeping your
Android device
running faster and
more reliably. Boost+
requires Lollipop or
Marshmallow to run.
memory even though you
no longer use them. Tap
Manage apps on the main
screen, then tap the three
lines, 1 and Oldest used.
2
2 Follow the steps to allow
usage access. Then tap the
boxes next to apps you
rarely use, and tap the bin
to uninstall them. 3
3

Our rating

32 4 - 17 May 2016
 Best Free Apps

This fortnights top free and paid-for apps for Android, iOS and
Windows phones and tablets, and smart TVs

KEYBOARD NEW CLOCK NEW MOBILE PAYMENTS UPDATED

Hub Always On: Circle Pay
Keyboard Ambient bit.ly/circle396
bit.ly/ Clock Min
hubkey396 bit.ly/ requirements:
Min alwayson396 iOS 8.1
requirements: Min Size: 43.2MB
Android 4.3 requirements:
Size: 20MB Android 4 Mobile
Size: 21MB payment is a
This latest relatively new
app from Anything your technology,
Microsofts friends but companies
Garage project improves the clipboard Samsung Galaxy such as PayPal,
by letting you paste more than just the S7 or LG G5 can do, your own Android Amazon, Apple
last batch of text you copied. It also phone can do too. Well, by anything and Google are
comes with Microsoft Translator built we mean display a customisable already on board, providing apps that
in, which means you can type in English ambient clock, so you can see the time let you send and receive funds instantly
and have your words automatically all the time. Ideally, your phone should using your phone or tablet. Its very
translated into one of more than 50 have an AMOLED screen (or active- useful for splitting the cost of dinner
languages, from Arabic to Yucatec matrix organic light-emitting diode to with friends, for example simply
Maya. Office 365 subscribers can also be precise). If yours has a good old transfer the money to your friend using
copy and share the URLs of Office 365 LCD, the app will batter your your phone. Circle Pay lacks the
documents into battery. We denied it the reassurance that comes
OneDrive. Find out more permissions it requested with a big name (although
about Microsoft Garage but it still worked perfectly. its backed by Barclays and
on the blog (bit.ly/ In-app purchases include Goldman Sachs), but its
hubgarage396). 700 extra clock fonts. very easy to use.

Our rating Our rating Our rating

SOCIAL NEWS NEW GET THE DEFINITIVE

Reddit GUIDE TO ANDROID
bit.ly/redditdroid396
bit.ly/redditios396 Our new updated
Min requirements: Android 4.0.3, Android MagBook is
iOS 7.1 packed with 148
Size: 6.7MB (Android), 6.4MB pages of apps,
(iOS) workshops and
advice to unlock the
It has taken a baffling 11 years full potential of your
for Reddit, the self-proclaimed tablet and phone.
front page of the internet, to
launch an official app. This Discover how to:
seems odd because the social- Master new tools in Lollipop
news network is second only to and Marshmallow
Twitter for breaking news Stop apps leaking your
stories, often from unofficial personal data
(and not always accurate) Record anything on your phone
sources, so it lends itself perfectly to the and tablet
instant-access nature of mobile platforms. Prevent updates from wrecking
The apps expanded view is more attractive than the text-heavy your device
website (www.reddit.com), but you can switch to Compact view if Remove hidden junk so it never
youd rather see more stories onscreen at once. Register for free to comes back
post, comment, save and share stories, or join a community to get the Switch from iOS without
latest news on everything from astronomy to zoology, via more cat losing data
memes than you can shake a pouch of Whiskas at. Order it now from Amazon at
bit.ly/defguidetoandroid
Our rating

Recommend free phone apps at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 4 - 17 May 2016 33

 Best Free Apps
PODCASTS
Aurora
bit.ly/aurora396
Min requirements: iOS 9.1
Size: 13.6MB
Browsing the web for podcasts can
feel like walking into the worlds
biggest library and wanting to run
out again because the choice is so
overwhelming. Thats where Aurora
comes in. This app for iPhone, iPad
and Apple Watch is a podcast
directory with cherry-picking
features that take you straight to the
podcasts that suit you. You can
browse categories for documentaries, news,
entertainment and more. Its recommendations,
playlists, offline listening and subscription
options are straight from the Spotify book of
content-discovery, and it learns your tastes.
Our rating
5 NEW APPS WORTH PAYING FOR
PHOTOS
This
bit.ly/this396
Min requirements: iOS 9.2
Size: 25.7MB Price: 1.49
Ever tried writing notes on a photo
using a fiddly drawing app? The results
are usually a right old mess. Use This
instead to adorn your snaps with classy
fonts, pointers and graphics.
WEATHER
UKWF Storm Radar
bit.ly/storm396
Min requirements: Android 2.3
Size: 4.2MB Price: 3.49
Storm chasers rejoice. This app doesnt
just tell you if its going to rain it
celebrates crazy weather conditions
with high-resolution data charts,
including a lightning detector and
precipitation-type radar.
PRODUCTIVITY
WhatsNext?
bit.ly/what396
Min requirements: Android 4.0.3
Size: 16MB Price: 1.50
We humans arent very good at
getting anything done unless we
This UKWF Storm Radar
34 4 - 17 May 2016
NEW FOOD UPDATED
Eat This Much
bit.ly/eatdroid396
bit.ly/eatios396
Min requirements: Android 4.1, iOS 8
Size: 24MB (Android), 21MB (iOS)
How much fat, sugar, carbohydrate,
fruit and veg are you supposed to
eat now? Received wisdom seems
to change by the day and may not
suit your tastes or budget. Eat This
Much helps you find your ideal
balance and stick to it.
Enter your diet goals and favourite foods, add a budget
and information about your dietary needs (vegetarian,
allergies and so on) and let the app generate
meal plans to match, with recipes that you can
save and customise. You can set up nutrition
targets for weight gain, muscle building and
fitness training as well as plain old weight loss.
Our rating
absolutely have to or its fun. This clever app harnesses this
tendency by turning your to-do list into a game that forces
you to set priorities and measure your wasted time.
VIDEO
Slow Motion Camera Extreme
bit.ly/slowdroid396
bit.ly/slowios396
Min requirements: Android 4.1, iOS 7
Size: 26MB (Android), 15.2MB (iOS)
Price: 2.33 (Android), 2.49 (iOS)
Create high-quality slow-motion
videos using this popular iOS app,
now available on Android. It comes
with its own built-in editing tools and
works with front and rear cameras
(slow-mo selfie, anyone?).
MUSIC
BBC Proms 2016: Official Guide
bit.ly/proms396
Min requirements: Android 4.0.3
Size: 16MB Price: 1.49
Get full listings and ticket information
for the worlds biggest classical
music festival, which starts in
July. The app includes access
to video and audio clips, and
articles about composers and
performers. Coming soon to iOS.
WhatsNext? Slow Motion Camera Extreme BBC Proms 2016: Official Guide
 Best Free Apps

Best New TV Apps

KIDS TV TV & FILM FILM & TV
BBC iPlayer Kids Now TV for Roku Microsoft Films & TV
bit.ly/iplayerkids396 bit.ly/nowtv396 bit.ly/microsoft396
Min requirements: Android 4.1 Min requirements: Roku streaming Min requirements: Windows 10,
(including Kindle Fire), iOS 8 device, Now TV subscription Xbox One or 360
Size: 24MB (Android), 21MB (iOS) Size: N/A Size: 33.3MB

Hot on the heels of Sky Kids (see Issue
395), the Beeb has launched its own
mobile app for children, and this one
wont cost parents a penny (other than
the TV licence fee, but you know what
we mean). Kids can watch their favourite
shows from CBBC and CBeebies, both
live and on-demand, without going
near a TV, PC or the grown-up iPlayer
app. You can download programmes to
play anywhere, and there are no adverts
to tempt youngsters with sugary treats
and expensive toys. The app works
over Wi-Fi and mobile networks, and
you can set up multiple profiles to
avoid arguments and ensure children
see the most suitable content.
to browse, buy and watch films and
Now TV has been available on Roku
players for several years, but you had to
browse it as a separate channel when
you wanted to find something to watch.
Happily, thats now changed because
Skys standalone streaming service has
been added to the main Roku Search
page. This means that when you look for
a TV show, a film or even an actor or
director, Now TV is included in the
search alongside Netflix and Amazon
Video, and if its available on the service
you can access it directly from the
results. Obviously, youll need a Now TV
subscription to watch any programmes
or films it finds, but this costs as little as
6.99 a month or even less if you use
our tip on page 68.
Microsoft has a long way to go
before it can take on Amazon Video,
Netflix and Google Play Movies, but
the latest improvements to its Films
& TV app for Windows 10 and Xbox
(where it was formerly known as
Xbox Video) are a step in the right
direction. Its now easier than ever
TV shows from the online store, as
well as videos stored on your PC or
console. Downloading content is less
buggy, and the app now gives
estimated download times. There
are new buttons for skipping forward
and backward through series. The
store still isnt cheap, though, with
most movies costing 3.99 to rent
for 14 days or 9.99 to buy.

Dont install... ...Install this instead

Smart Battery Booster PRO Trepn Profiler
bit.ly/smart396 bit.ly/trepn396
Min requirements: Android 4
We couldnt believe it when we saw the cost of Size: 2.4MB
this battery-boosting app: 300! For that
price, we could buy a brand new phone with a This brilliant lightweight tool shows
much better battery, so whats the point? Its you exactly which apps are responsible
certainly a massive for hogging the processor and battery
jump from the free on your phone or tablet. Trepn
version of the app, Profiler lets you run six performance
especially when tests on your Android device to get
as far as we can a better understanding of whats
see the paid-for going on in the background. These
version doesnt include a CPU Usage Monitor test
offer any more that ranks apps according to the
features, aside percentage of processor power
from being they use you can view the current
ad-free. It cant usage or an average figure. Theres also a
even spell useful Network Activity test that shows the
brightness effects of mobile data use, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
correctly! activity on your devices battery life.

Recommend
Recommend free
free TV
phone
appsapps
at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine
at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 4 - 17 May 2016 35
 FAQ
Our guide to
Need to get something done online, but dont have
the time or energy? There could soon be a bot to do
the hard work for you, as David Crookes explains
Whats a bot?
Bots are software applications that have
been programmed to perform tasks
automatically over the internet or to
pretend to be a person. The word is short
for web robot and the idea is that they
perform simple, time-consuming and
repetitive functions that would otherwise
require some form of human involvement.
Theyve been around for nearly as long as
the internet itself but theyre set to
become an even more important part of
the way we use the web in the coming
months and years.
What kinds of bots are there?
Bots have various uses. Google, for
example, uses them to crawl and
catalogue the web, which is how its able
to deliver relevant search results, while
criminals use them to assault the internet
with automated attacks and look for
unprotected computers. Other bots help
people win online auctions by bidding for
them at the last second, and give online
36 4 - 17 May 2016
Everything you need to know about the most
interesting new technology trends and events
bots
gamers an advantage by performing
repetitive tasks in games. However, its
chatbots pieces of software designed
to simulate conversation that are
currently grabbing the headlines.
Why have chatbots been
grabbing the headlines?
There have been plenty of developments
in the field lately. For a start, weve seen
the emergence of bot platforms and bot
stores for the messaging apps Telegram
Kiks Weather Channel bot tells you
whether youll need a brolly or sunglasses
(telegram.org) and Kik (www.kik.com),
which let you chat to bots about a whole
range of topics including sport, fashion
and the weather. The big news has come
from Microsoft and Facebook, however.
Both companies are looking at ways to
incorporate chatbots into their
messaging platforms and are inviting
third-party companies to get involved.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has gone so
far as to say bots are the new apps.
Thats a bold claim. But why the
emphasis on chatbots?
Theres a big push towards getting us to
talk to machines rather than clicking and
tapping our way around menus and
buttons. Chatbots have simple user
interfaces that let us access services by
the most natural means we have: our own
language. These bots can gather data,
learn our habits and even work out what
we want to do before we realise it.
Currently, you can use bots to order food,
book flights, receive tech support or find
out if the trousers you like are available in
a particular shop. But theres a sense that
were just at the beginning of the bot era.
Why would Microsoft describe
bots as the new apps?
It would appear that the app market is
reaching a saturation point. Figures
released in January by Forrester
Research (bit.ly/forrester396) showed
that the average smartphone owner in
the US spends 88 per cent of their time
using just five apps: Facebook, YouTube,
Instagram, Gmail and Facebook
Messenger. With people reluctant to
cram more apps on their devices,
companies are looking for alternative
ways to attract attention and gain
business. Social-media and messaging
apps show little sign of declining in
popularity, so a lot of thought is going
into how people can use simple
messages to communicate with online
services. Hence the rise of the bots.
 Bots

Wont we need apps to use bots? the necessary travel arrangements.

This is where things become interesting. During this whole process, no human
Rather than having a string of bots built other than yourself would be involved.
into thousands of websites and apps, we
can anticipate a rising number of Isnt this all rather creepy?
platforms that Potentially. The ultimate aim is that, in
bring various Microsofts Cortana can now work with bots conversing with many of these bots, you
bots together to take even more control of your life could be fooled into thinking you were
a kind of one- speaking to a human sales rep rather
stop bot hub. hotels website or app, and you could go than artificial intelligence. Having a bot
This certainly straight from that to messaging another interrupt your private conversation could
seems to be service or even a friend to let them know quickly become annoying, especially if
what Microsoft where youre staying. the messages seem like adverts or spam.
and Facebook Bots could also lead to job losses,
want to do. How is Microsoft using bots? especially in call centres (although they
Indeed, at its At the Microsoft Build 2016 conference would eliminate call-waiting times). None
F8 conference, in March, the company unveiled a more of this should stop the development of
Facebooks intelligent version of its digital personal bots but we may have to start asking
head of assistant, Cortana. Intended to work some deeper ethical questions further
messaging, with conversational platforms such as down the line.
Facebook wants its David Marcus, Skype, the new Cortana can eavesdrop
millions of users to launched the on your text chats and automatically Havent we seen bots before?
interact with bots from
its Messenger app Messenger pick up on any tasks that may need to be Yes. The SmarterChild chatbot, which
Platform performed. Because Cortana has access was active on AOL Instant
(messengerplatform.fb.com), which will to third-party bots, it could pop up at Messenger and MSN
allow any company to produce its own the appropriate moment and make a Messenger around 2001,
bots. Although the bots could be suggestion. You could then have a side attracted 30 million people.
embedded on a website, Facebook conversation with the bot using natural Some have also pointed out
would rather users communicated with language, and get things done quickly. parallels with the dreaded
them directly through its Messenger app. Clippy Assistant in
How would this be different to Microsoft Office, which
What bots are active on Messengers bots terrorised PC and Mac users
Messenger right now? Messengers bots will reach out to the from 1997 to 2003.
For a while, Facebook Messenger users in web, whereas Microsofts will also be able Chatbots are certainly
the US have been able to book, track and to work with the files on your PC. Lets nothing new, but the
pay for an Uber taxi without needing to say youre chatting with a colleague current resurgence in
download an about going on a business trip. Cortana interest thanks to the Clippy was one of the
extra app or would identify your plans, place a popularity of social media earliest bots, and one
of the most hated
leave a provisional entry in your PCs diary and and messaging apps
software features ever
conversation. then broker third-party hotel and could truly be a game
Now additional transport service bots to help you make changer this time.
developers are
on board, and
have been WHEN GOOD BOTS TURN BAD
creating
everything from Not all bots have proved successful. In
a weather bot March this year, in a bid to refine its
called Poncho to voice-recognition software, Microsoft
a CNN bot that introduced an Artificial Intelligence
delivers news chatbot on Twitter called Tay, who was
when you want supposed to speak like a teenage girl.
The Messenger bot for it. Other The idea was that Tay would learn
US fashion retailer companies that from the conversations people had
Spring recommends
clothes for you to buy are getting with her, but she soon fell prey to trolls
involved include and troublemakers. As some users
Burger King, eBay, Expedia, Staples and used fruity language and tried to
US online clothing store Spring, each of lead Tay astray, she went off the rails, protecting Tays tweets to all but
which offers conversational ways of expressing her confirmed followers, and the
getting things done. support for experience hasnt put the company off
The idea is that anyone who wants to Hitler, blaming experimenting with bots. Shortly
carry out a task could end up heading George W Bush afterwards, it released CaptionBot
straight to Messenger. For example, you for 9/11 and (captionbot.ai), which lets you upload
could ask a hotel bot: Can I book a room denying the photos to find out whats in them, and
tonight? and receive a message stating Holocaust. Murphy (projectmurphy.net), which
the current availability and giving you the Microsoft lets you ask a series of What if
chance to reply with a confirmation. responded by questions to see the result.
There would be no need to visit the

Discuss new technology at forum.webuser.co.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 37

STOPTHEWEB
STALKINGYOU
The web already knows a vast amount of
COVER E personal information about you. Wayne Williams
R
FEATU explains what it has on you, and how you can
stop it gathering, storing and using that data

the creepiest things the web knows about you,

S
everal recent news stories about ransomware
and show you how you can protect that data.
and email scams that know where you live the
Over the following six pages, we explain how
have highlighted the fact that theres more ling detail s as where you live,
realise. web knows such unsett
information about us on the web than we may what you look like and even if
se we overs hare our where youve been,
Sometimes this is becau with
youre having an affair. We look at what it does
data through social media or neglect to opt how you can stop anyon e
this data, and reveal
out of allowing websites to pass our details to
collecting it again.
third parties, but our personal information can
We also peek into the future to see what other
also be obtained by more sinister means and
personal data might be recorded in years to come.
for malign purposes. In this feature, we reveal

38 4 - 17 May 2016

1Where you live
Your home address can end up on
the web in numerous ways. If you have
location services active on your PC or
phone, Google, Apple and other
companies will know exactly where you
live, either because youve provided
them with this information or because
they can see how much time you spend
at that address, and when (such as
overnight and at weekends). They can
use this info to target you with adverts
for local companies and services.
You can pay your web host to hide your
details from Who-is searches
2What
online
you last bought
When you shop with Amazon or eBay,
the retailer remembers the items youve
purchased or looked at, so it can
present you with a list of other items it
thinks you may be interested in every
time you visit. Theres nothing
specifically wrong with that, but weve
all had the experience of shopping on
one site and then having adverts for the
same (and similar) products appear on
an entirely unrelated site. Its safe to
assume that this information was shared
through cookies, and you can prevent
3Your telephone number
If you share your phone number
on social sites such as Facebook, you
should make sure youve locked down
your privacy settings so it isnt visible to
everyone. In the web version of
Facebook, click Edit profile, About and
Create a fake identity to register with
sites, including a fake phone number
COVER E
Stop the web stalking you FEATU
R
Thats not the only way the web can
find out your address, however. If you
have your own website, anyone can
victims full name but also their
home address, making the email
seem more legitimate. Clicking the
perform a Who-is (who.is) search to link actually launched ransomware
discover the name and address to which that immediately encrypted all the
your site is registered unless youve personal data stored on the PC. The
paid extra to hide this information. scammers then demanded a ransom
Turning off location services on your to unlock it, with the price rising the
various devices will prevent sites finding longer the victim took to pay. See the
out where you live, and there are plenty BBC News story at bit.ly/ransom396.
of good reasons to protect this
information. If you were to mention on a
social network such as Twitter that you
were going on holiday for a week, for
example, and your profile includes a link
to your website, a burglar could run a
quick Who-is search, find out your
home address and pay it a visit while
you were away.
Your address can be used in other
nefarious ways, too. A recent scam
email that tried to get recipients
to print an invoice by clicking a A new type of email scam uses your home
link included not only the potential address to appear more convincing
this by opting out of
behavioural tracking. Go
to bit.ly/adchoices396
Recommendations.
Select the Dont use
for recommendations
and choose which option next to
advertisers cookies every entry.
youd like to block. To stop eBay
You can stop Amazon displaying items youve
using your browsing viewed recently, go to
Stop Amazon recommending
and shopping history products based on past actions bit.ly/ebay396 and select
to make personalised Do not show the My
recommendations by going to bit. Recently Viewed Items box. You can
ly/amazon396 and clicking Turn off opt out of eBays targeted advertising
browsing history. Next, click Your service AdChoice by going to My eBay
Account and, in the Personalisation and selecting the Account tab, then Site
section, choose Improve Your Preferences, General Preferences.
then Contact and basic info. Your
number is listed under Mobile Phones.
Hover over it and click Edit. Click the
where possible. Fake Name Generator
(www.fakenamegenerator.com) creates
an entirely false identity for you,
down arrow and select Only Me so that including a fake mobile number.
no-one but you can see the number. You
can take similar action on other social
sites, which are the main source of leaks
for phone numbers. As we mention
above, your phone number (and
4Where you work
If youve signed up to LinkedIn,
your public profile will include your
address) are also listed in the Who-is place of work, so anyone who searches
details for any websites you own, unless for you will also have this piece of
you pay extra to hide your contact info.
Some directories allow anyone to enter
a phone number and find additional
details, such as the site owners name.
Researchers recently discovered
that a phone number is all a hacker
needs to read your texts, listen to your
calls and track your movements (bit.ly/
hackerphone396), which is worrying. To
avoid such problems, try not to share Google can determine where you work by
your phone number, and use a fake one where you spend your day
4 - 17 May 2016 39

MINI WORKSHOP
Disguise your details in
YouTube videos
1 listed there.
1 You may think the video you uploaded to
YouTube is innocent enough, but its
possible that it includes information you dont
want the world to see, such as your phone
number or car registration plate, for example.
YouTube lets you blur out this sort of detail.
Go to www.youtube.com/my_videos and click
the Edit button next to the video. 1
1 account. Google obviously knows
2 into the search engine voluntarily,
3 higher ranking than sites youve
4
2 Click the Enhancements tab 1 and the
video will be displayed with a split down
the centre to show how it looks before and
after any changes. Click the Blurring Effects
option to the right. 2 The software can
automatically find and blur faces in a video, 3
or you can pick an area to track and blur. 4
1 cog in the top-right corner. Choose
2
3 suggesting People You May Know.
3 Select the second option and draw
around the object you want to obscure.
1 YouTube will then track (and blur) it
automatically throughout the video. Click
the play button 2 to see it in action. If you
want to blur a particular spot in the video
(a phone number, for example) click the
Lock button 3 to fix the box into position.
40 4 - 17 May 2016
information. Digital personal
assistants including Siri, Google
Now and Cortana also learn where
you work, even if you havent
expressly told them, because
they can use location tracking to
determine where you usually are
during working hours. Visit Googles
Location History page and youll
probably see your place of work
If you dont mind people knowing
where you work, thats not a major
problem (on LinkedIn, its the whole
point!), but its yet more information
the web knows about you.
5online
What you search for
Google records every search you
make, as well as all the links you
click in your search results. And
when we say records, we mean it
logs and stores the information and
connects it with your Google
this information because you type it
and it uses this data to build up a
profile of you to determine how it
should rank the results of your
future searches. This means that
sites you use regularly are given a
never visited and, of course, it
allows Google to tailor its
advertising to your interests in the
hope of getting you to click.
To find out what search
information Google has gathered
about you, go to history.google.
com/history. You can select and
delete any items from the list to
prevent Google from using them for
search-result shaping and
advertising in future.
Google records all your searches and
every link you click in the results
To stop Google collecting
information of this type about you
in future, log out of your Google
account before searching, or use a
search engine that doesnt log your
Oscobo is a UK search engine that
doesnt store info on your searches
searches, such as DuckDuckGo
(duckduckgo.com) or Oscobo
(oscobo.co.uk).
6Who your friends are
Social networks such as
Facebook and LinkedIn make it
their business to understand our
relationships. If you and another
user have a lot of acquaintances in
common and especially if you live
in the same area these sites
recognise that theres a good
chance youll know each other.
Recommending people in this way
helps you expand your social
network and keeps you coming
back to the site, but it can
sometimes feel rather creepy and
the more time you spend there, the
more advertising youll see.
If you havent locked down your
Facebook settings, your public
profile will allow anyone to look you
up on the web and browse your
friends list. To prevent this, go to
Settings, Privacy and choose No
next to Do you want search
engines outside of Facebook to link
to your Profile. Click your name in
Facebook to open your profile
page, then click Friends. Click the
pencil icon (Manage) next to Find
Friends and select Edit privacy. In
the window that opens, you can
change who can see your friend list
and the people and lists you follow.
On LinkedIn, go to My Network,
Add Contacts and click the Settings
Manage imported contacts.
Deselect any entries you dont want
the site to use as the basis for
Control who can see your friends, and
the people they know, in Facebook

7Where you went
to school
Facebook and LinkedIn urge you to
complete your profile by adding
various details, including every
educational institution you attended.
This information is then fully visible in
your public profile, which anyone can
access simply by running a search in
Google. If youve posted anything on
your schools website or forum, that
information will be readily available, too.
Sites use details like these to build up
a more complete profile of you, but the
data can also be very useful for identity
thieves. For this reason, you should only
share this information if youre happy
with the world seeing it and you think it
will be beneficial to you.
Telling social networks where you went to
school could lead to identity theft
8Who you live with
Finding out who you live with
requires only a quick search of 192
.com. This information even appears
in the sites free search results in
the Other Occupants column, along
with the town you live in and your
MINI WORKSHOP | Stop Google stalking you everywhere
1 2
2
1 Google knows an awful lot about
what you do and where you go,
both online and off, but you can
manage this information at history.
google.com/history. The Web & App
Activity section shows all your past
searches 1 and the content browsed
in Chrome and other apps. Clicking a
link 2 will take you back to that page.
Stop the web stalking you
9What you look like
If you have an unusual name,
typing it into Google may well turn
up photos of you. These could be
from your own website or from
social networks including Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have
a more common name, a searcher
can narrow the results by including
additional information about
you such as the name of the
company you work for or the
town you live in. Photos of
yourself that youve shared
on sites such as Flickr may
also pop up, especially if
youve helpfully labelled
them with your own name.
Once a photo is on the web,
removing it can be very difficult
because theres a good chance it will
reappear in places other than the
original site.
For this reason, you should make
sure any photos you share on the web
can be viewed only by your friends
and family. To do this in Facebook, for
example, go to the Privacy Settings
and Tools page (bit.ly/fbprivacy396)
and, in the Who can see my stuff?
1
3 3
4 2
2 Remove any search from this list by
selecting it and clicking Delete 1 at
the top-right of the screen. You can
select and remove multiple items at a
time and clear all searches made on a
particular day. 2 From here you can
also remove past voice and audio inputs
sent to Google, 3 and clear contacts,
apps and other device data. 4
COVER E
FEATU
R
Change your Facebook privacy settings
to stop people viewing photos of you
section, ensure that Who can
see your future posts? is set
to Friends. Then click the
Limit Past Posts option
and choose Limit Old
Posts to prevent anyone
apart from your friends
viewing content on your
Timeline. You can also tell the
social network not to allow search
engines to access your profile and
profile photo.
If you have a Google or Microsoft
account, you probably have a photo of
yourself next to your name. This means
that when you send someone an email,
theyll immediately be able to see what
you look like. You can stop this
happening by using a picture of
something (or someone) else.
approximate age. 192.com harvests
this data from the Edited Electoral
Roll, so your cohabitants details wont
appear if they havent registered to
vote. You can remove details from 192.
com by completing the C01 Record
Removal Form at bit.ly/192removal396.
You can ask 192.com to remove details of
where you live and with whom
1
4
3 Select Location History 1 to view
a map of all the places Google
knows youve been. Use the Timeline
to display a particular year, month
and day. YouTube Watch History 2
lists all the videos youve watched
on the site, 3 while YouTube Search
History 4 displays a list of everything
youve looked for.
4 - 17 May 2016 41
10Everywhere you go
Your phone is constantly
noting your location and reporting it
back to the web. One upside is that if
you ever need an alibi to vouch for your
whereabouts at a particular date and
time, Google will remember the details
even if you dont. This information is
also recorded and stored on the phone.
If you have an iPhone, you can see
exactly where youve been by opening
Settings, Privacy, Location Services and
tapping System Services at the bottom.
Scroll down to Frequent Locations and
tap an entry to see the various places
youve been. Apple says this data is only
stored on your phone rather than online
where it could be subject to hacks, and
you can clear your history on this page
whenever you want.
Google knows everywhere youve been
and the places that you visit most
Google also makes a record of
everywhere youve been. Go to history.
google.com/history on the web and
click Location History on the left. This
shows you where you were on any given
day, in any month and year, and
also lists the places you visit
most often. Google logs this
information from all phones,
but you can pause location
gathering at any time if you
want to go partially off the
grid for a while.
The search giant stresses
that only you can see this
information, but anyone else
who has access to your Google
account will also be able to view
it. Thats why its important that you
always remember to log out of shared
computers. Of course, Google itself
knows exactly where youve been, too.
See our Mini Workshop on page 41 to
find out how to limit the information it
gathers on you.

11What
open
emails you
Some companies now embed an
invisible pixel in the marketing emails
they send you, which allows them to
track the message. As soon as you
open their email, the pixel sends
information back to the server, including
the time, your location and the device
youre using. This allows the company
to target you with further marketing
messages, which is where PixelBlock
your pictures before you upload them,
and by using YouTubes improved
blurring tool (www.youtube.com/editor)
(bit.ly/pixel371) comes in handy. This to do the same in videos. See our Mini
Chrome extension for Gmail blocks Workshop on page 40 to find out how.
attempts to use hidden pixels to track
emails, and highlights sneaky messages
with a red-eye symbol. Click this symbol
and PixelBlock tells you the source of
the email, which may differ from the
13Where youve been
on holiday
The sites you use to book your holiday
official sender. will obviously know where youve been,
and so will social networks, because
youve probably shared that information

12What car you drive

If your car appears in photos
and videos youve posted on the web,
and the accompanying photos,
especially if you tag them. Google will
also know the dates and destination if
anyone can see your registration you received your booking confirmation
number and potentially use that emails through Gmail. Recently the
information for criminal purposes. You search giant launched a Destinations
Use PixelBlock to expose companies that can stop this happening by using an tool that finds you hotels and flights
track the emails they send you image editor to blur the number plate in when you search for a holiday from your
mobile device helpful in theory, but
also intrusive. Google can also use your
WHAT WILL THE WEB KNOW NEXT? phone to track you abroad, in the same
way we explained earlier.
Tech companies always want to know more about us, Prevent the web knowing precisely
and the next stage of data collection is likely to include where youve been by taking care not to
(and in fact has already started including) fingerprints share too much information about your
and other biometrics, such as iris data. A PIN and holidays, and by turning off your
built-in device encryption make it very difficult for anyone phones data connection while youre
who steals your phone (or a law enforcement agency) away. This not only protects your
to unlock it, but increasingly were choosing to privacy but saves you money, too.
protect and open our devices with fingerprints, which
are much easier to crack. Windows 10 comes with
Windows Hello, which lets you log into your device
with just a touch or a glance (provided you have the
required hardware), and most flagship smartphones
offer this kind of login now.
As the use of biometrics to lock and unlock devices
becomes more widespread, so do the chances that
this data will make its way off the devices and onto
the web. Will future data leaks include info about our
fingerprints and eyes? Scarily, its very likely. Googles Destinations tool has a vested
interest in knowing your holiday plans

42 4 - 17 May 2016

14 If youre having
an affair
Adultery website Ashley Madison was
hacked in 2015, resulting in the names,
email addresses, home addresses and
credit card information of its members
Users of the popular dating app Tinder
could be exposed by a new website
15What software
youre using
The web knows a surprising amount of
information about how you access it,
including the browser, operating system
and plug-ins youre using, the resolution
of your screen, your processor type and
even which fonts are installed on your
computer. Go to BrowserLeaks.com
(www.browserleaks.com) and click on
the various section headings to discover
what information youre leaking about
your software and hardware. Sharing
certain details is harmless, but when
combined, the information could
compromise your privacy and security
by identifying your browser as unique. If
this concerns you, consider using a VPN
to conceal this data.
16What your home
looks like
Although Google points out that its
Street View imagery is not provided
in real-time, you may still feel
NEXT ISSUE
Why your PC
is still slow
The worst mistakes you dont
realise youre making that are
killing the speed of your system
Stop the web stalking you
leaking onto the web. A lot of
members found themselves being
blackmailed both online and off
(letters were sent to peoples homes),
so if youre tempted to use such sites,
it may be worth using fake details (at
least, at first).
If you use the dating app Tinder to
arrange hookups, beware of a new
service called Swipe Buster (www
.swipebuster.com), which lets your
partner (or any other curious person)
search Tinder for profiles that might
belong to you, based on identifying
information such as first name, age,
gender and location. The site charges
$4.99 (3.47) per search, and uses
data thats publicly available. If the
app can find you on Tinder, then
potentially anyone can.
You can ask Google to blur your house in
Street View to fend off online gawkers
uncomfortable that people can look up
where you live and check out your
house and garden. If so, you can ask
Google to blur the relevant details. Just
search for your postcode using Google
Maps, switch to Street View and, when
youve found your home, click the tiny
Report a problem link in the bottom-
right corner of the page. Specify what
you want to blur in this case My
house, but you can also choose a face,
car or other detail and adjust the view
on sale Wednesday 18 May 2016
COVER E
FEATU
R
so that it focuses on the part of the
image you want Google to conceal.
Note that Street View blurring is
permanent, so you cant reverse it if
you change your mind later.
17Your credit card
details
Most online shops now offer to store
your debit or credit card details when
you buy something. This makes future
purchases easier because you wont
have to enter your payment details
manually, but although this information
is held securely, data breaches happen,
and theres always the risk that your
details might be leaked online. Credit
card details are the most popular
commodity sold on the dark web,
with stolen UK cards going for between
10 and 25 each, depending on the
level of detail supplied. Many of these
are sourced from card skimmers in the
real world, so be careful how and where
you use your cards.
To keep your card details safe, its
best to avoid storing them on any site. It
might take you longer to complete the
process when you next buy something,
but at least your data is less likely to fall
into the wrong hands. Alternatively, you
can use PayPal to store your payment
information securely, and choose that
option (where available) instead.
Use PayPal to pay for goods online rather
than sharing your card details
PLUS...
ESCAPE HIDDEN FEES
Cancel unwanted subscriptions
before they rip you off
SHRINK YOUR FILES
Best free compression tools
to save you space and data
DONT PAY FOR A VPN
Try the Opera browsers
brilliant new built-in tool
SUBSCRIBE TO WEB USER AT
SUBSCRIBE.WEBUSER.CO.UK
4 - 17 May 2016 43
Best free
photo
viewers
Google recently ended
support for its Desktop
image viewer and organiser,
Picasa. Edward Munn tests
six of the best alternatives
for managing the photos on
your hard drive

XnView | www.xnview.com |
FEATURES PERFORMANCE EASE OF USE

What we liked:
Wh
XnView is a feature-
XnV
packed image viewer
that, like our other award
winners, offers a file
browser to help you find
and manage your image
files. You can use this to
fil
perform a range of useful functions
including moving, renaming and
converting files, viewing an images
properties and EXIF information, and
labelling and rating your images to help
you organise them. Its interface is one
of the simplest to use of all the image
viewers we tested, yet its advanced
features, such as Batch Processing and
Batch Rename, can save you a lot of
time when youre working with a large When you open several pictures from we can fault with XnView. We like its
number of files. XnViews browser, each appears in its interface, although if we had to criticise
Double-clicking a thumbnail (or its own tab but you can view them side by one thing, its that it looks rather dull
preview) from XnViews file browser side if you click Window and choose Tile compared with Zoner Photo Studio.
opens an image in its own tab. From or Cascade. When you open image files
here, you can take advantage of a from Explorer, XnView launches quickly
number of basic editing features, and offers its full range of tools, as well OUR VERDICT
including tools for resizing, cropping as the option to browse the remaining XnViews impressive features, fast
and red-eye removal. The program also images in the folder by pressing the performance and simple interface
lets you optimise the colour and arrow keys. If the program is already make it the obvious candidate for
contrast, with buttons for Automatic running, you can open images simply by the Gold Award. Its even available
levels and Automatic contrast (or you dragging and dropping them to XnView. as a portable application as well as
can adjust these manually if you prefer), an installation, so it will suit every
and you can add a range of effects How it can be improved: type of user.
using its Filter menu. Considering its free, theres very little

44 4 - 17 May 2016

FastStone Image Viewer | faststone.org |
FEATURES PERFORMANCE EASE OF USE
What we liked:
Wh
FastStone Image
Fas
Viewer is a free,
lightweight tool
with an abundance
of features. Its
file browser works
fil
much like that of our
Gold Award winner, helping you
organise the image files on your
PC while providing useful processing
tools, such as batch conversion and
renaming. Cropping, rotating and light
adjustments are all available from
the main toolbar, but its standout
feature is the Compare Selected
Images option, which lets you view
up to four images at once, zooming
and moving them all simultaneously.
Double-clicking a file (either from its
own file browser or Explorer) opens it in
full-screen mode, where you can move
your cursor to the edges of the display
to access different options including the
folder tree, file attributes window and
an editing pane. You can also use a
Windowed View instead of Full Screen if
you prefer to have access to the toolbar
at all times. FastStone occupies just
Zoner Photo Studio Free | free.zoner.com |
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
What we liked:
Wh
Zoner Photo Studio
Free is perhaps the
most aesthetically
pleasing of all the
image viewers we
ima
tested. It looks like a
tes
professional photo suite,
with a Catalog feature that lets
you save your favourite photo
folders for faster viewing. When you
click a thumbnail, Zoner previews the
image in the centre of your screen, and
its Manager tab presents important
information, including its properties,
EXIF details and even its GPS position.
The Develop tab offers a range of tools
to crop or rotate your image and
change its colour, white balance and
exposure. Edited photos retain the
originals image quality, and your edits
can be reversed using the Restore
Original button, a feature that separates
Zoner from its rivals. The program has a
range of export shortcuts for converting
your images to different formats, and
you can share photos easily using its
built-in Facebook and Twitter buttons.
Discuss image viewers at forum.webuser.co.uk
BEST OF THE REST
over 5MB of hard drive space, so its
quick to install and run, and theres also
a handy portable version.
How it can be improved:
FastStone Image Viewer has the most
impressive tools of all the image viewers
here, but accessing them feels
convoluted at times, as its interface isnt
as easy to use as XnViews.
OUR VERDICT
FastStone was unfortunate not to
win the Gold Award. Youll struggle
to find a better-equipped free photo
viewer, but XnViews simplicity gives
it the edge for everyday use.
and
How it can be improved:
Zoner Photo Studio Free is the free
version of a premium program, so many
of its tools, including batch processing
and most of the editing options, are only
available if you upgrade for $99 (68).
The program also takes up 315MB of
hard drive space, and can be slow to run.
OUR VERDICT
Zoner Photo Studio Free has a
beautifully designed interface and
is great for organising, viewing
and sharing images, but it lacks
features compared with XnView
and FastStone Image Viewer.
Free photo viewers
Nomacs Image Lounge
nomacs.org/download
Nomacs Image Lounge is a simple,
user-friendly image viewer thats
available as a full installation or a
portable
application.
You can
use it to
perform all
the essential
quick
fixes, such as cropping, rotating
and resizing, and theres a useful
Image Manipulation Tool for
adjusting brightness, contrast,
saturation, exposure and other
attributes. In fact, the only major
shortcoming we found with Nomacs
is that it lacks the thumbnail
browsers of its competitors.
IrfanView
www.irfanview.com
IrfanView is a small program
(around 2MB) that offers all the
tools youd expect from a good
image viewer. You can make quick
edits such as cropping, rotating and
resizing and it even has tools for
batch
renaming
converting.
Despite
being
lightweight
and quick to load, however, the
program feels rather dated
compared with the award winners,
and too many of its features are
buried in long, unwieldy menus or
require further add-ons.
WildBit Viewer
www.wildbit-soft.fi
WildBit Viewer is a fast, lightweight
image viewer that comes with an
advanced search tool, highly
customisable slideshows and
full-featured image editor. Although
this sounds
impressive,
its tools are
split across
six small,
separate
applications,
making it clunky and disjointed. The
Viewer element of the package, in
particular, could be easier to use
and didnt appear as an option in
the Open with context menu.
4 - 17 May 2016 45

that are better than software
Some free Windows 10 apps are more than just cut-down versions of
full programs. Robert Irvine picks 11 that surpass traditional software
MAIL AND CALENDAR
bit.ly/mail396
Whats so good about them?
Unless you enjoy being spied on or
pestered with ads, you can ignore
most of Windows 10s built-in apps.
We make an exception, though, for
the Mail and Calendar apps, which
recognise that not every Windows
user wants to be limited to Microsoft
services. Mail works with accounts
from most popular providers, so you
can manage your Gmail, Yahoo Mail
and iCloud inboxes alongside your
Outlook.com or Office 365 messages.
Likewise, Calendar lets you connect
with Google Calendar and iCloud to
synchronise all your events and
appointments in one place. Neither
app is particularly sophisticated, but
both are easy to use and work
seamlessly with one another.
What are they better than?
Thunderbird (www.mozilla
.org/thunderbird) also
combines email and
calendar functions but is no
longer supported by Mozilla.
FLIPBOARD
bit.ly/flipboard396
Whats so good about it?
Part social app, part news app,
Flipboard lets you create your own
46 4 - 17 May 2016
free magazine full of content that
interests you. Choose a few topics,
such as Gear & Gadgets, Gardening
and Bon Appetit, to view articles,
photos and videos in an attractive
grid layout, which you can swipe
through at your leisure. You can also
connect your Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter accounts to see
everything your friends are sharing in
one place. Stylish and endlessly
fascinating, Flipboard saves you
having to buy any magazine other
than Web User, of course again.
Whats it better than?
Flipboards closest software
equivalent is a Desktop RSS
reader, such as FeedReader
(feedreader.com), but its superb
presentation makes RSS tools look
dated and dull in comparison.
AUTODESK PIXLR
bit.ly/pixlr396
Whats so good about it?
Image editors are often overloaded
with tools youll never use, but
Autodesk Pixlr keeps things simple
while still providing lots of useful
options. You can apply quick fixes to
your photos, such as crop, straighten
and resize; balance colours and poor
lighting with a single click; and apply
25 effects to your shots. The app also
lets you remove red-eye and other
imperfections, merge two images
and add borders and overlays to your
pictures. Additional features are
available when you sign up for a free
Pixlr account.
Whats it better than?
Picasa (picasa.google.co.uk) is no
apps
longer being updated, so
Autodesk Pixlr provides an
excellent Desktop alternative.
See our feature on page 44 for more
free image viewers.
WUNDERLIST
bit.ly/wunderlist396
Whats so good about it?
Designed specifically for Windows
10, this app for the popular note-
taking tool is a brilliant way to
organise your life. As well as creating
and managing to-do lists, and
syncing them with your phone or
tablet, Wunderlist lets you share
photos and files, set reminders for
specific tasks and collaborate on
projects at home and work. The app
works with Cortana, so you can add
items to your to-do lists using spoken
instructions, complete with due dates
and reminders.
Whats it better than?
Wunderlist has a Windows
program (www.wunderlist
.com) as well as an app, but
we prefer the latters lightweight
interface, and its compatibility with
Cortana is a definite boon.
NETFLIX
bit.ly/netflix396
Whats so good about it?
Netflix is available on virtually every
platform you can think of from
mobile devices and games consoles
to smart TVs and streaming sticks

so its no surprise that it also has a
Windows 10 app. This is easy to use
and adjusts automatically to suit your
screens size and resolution. We also
like the fact that when you adjust the
volume or use a media button on
your keyboard, a control panel
appears, showing you whats playing
and providing a volume meter and
play/pause, skip and back buttons.
You can use Cortana to search for
films and TV shows, and if you pin
the app to the Start menu, it displays
a handy Continue Watching option.
Whats it better than?
The Netflix app for Windows
10 actually beats watching
movies and series in
your browser, for the reasons
mentioned above and because
you can continue to watch while
performing other tasks online.
MUSIC MAKER JAM
bit.ly/music396
Whats so good about it?
Although its rather large for an
app (336MB), Music Maker Jam is a
fantastic free download for anyone
who wants to create their own tunes.
It offers a choice of four music styles,
which you can swap for new ones
every month for free, and many
more that you can buy as in-app
purchases. Choose from a range of
professionally produced loops and
arrange them however you want,
adjusting the pitch, applying effects
and mixing everything together
across eight channels.
Whats it better than?
Free Audio Editor (www
.free-audio-editor.com) may
be free, but its known to be
infected with adware, which is a
considerable price to pay for
indulging your musical creativity.
Discuss Windows 10 apps at forum.webuser.co.uk
TOVIEW
bit.ly/toview396
Whats so good about it?
Who needs a television when you can
watch live TV on your Desktop using
the new ToView app? You can stream
all five national channels in one
resizable window, as well as free
music, sport and news channels,
while the 24-hour programme guide
helps you plan your viewing. ToView
even lets you pin your favourite
shows to the Windows 10 Start menu,
so you never miss them again.
Whats it better than?
ToView beats having to
switch between five separate
TV-streaming services and,
unlike ITV Hub and All 4, you dont
need to register to start viewing.
PLEX
bit.ly/plex396
Whats so good about it?
Plex makes it easy to browse and
enjoy all the music, videos and
photos you have stored on your PC,
phone and tablet, as well as media
content from the cloud, by bringing it
all together. The app is free to use,
although to unlock its full potential
you need to pay $4.99 (3.49) for a
Plex Pass, which removes all
restrictions and syncs your files
across all your devices so you can
view and play them offline.
Whats it better than?
Plex is much better value and
easier to use than JRiver
MediaCenter (www.jriver.com).
Yes, thats the second time this issue
weve criticised JRiver see page 29. Whats it better than?
EARTH VIEW MAP 3D
bit.ly/earth396
Whats so good about it?
This brilliant app lets you tour the
Best Windows 10 apps
world in 3D from the comfort of your
Desktop. There are currently more
than 200 locations that you can
explore as if you were there on foot
or flying above them in a helicopter,
including New York, London, Paris,
Rome and the Grand Canyon, while
many more are available in flat 2D.
You can easily capture screenshots of
your favourite 3D views, and use the
satellite map to decide where to go.
Whats it better than?
Although not as
comprehensive as Google
Earth (earth.google.co.uk),
Earth View is a lot simpler and
faster, and the quality of its
3D imagery is stunning.
THE WEATHER CHANNEL
bit.ly/weather396
Whats so good about it
There are loads of weather apps for
Windows 10, including its own built-in
tool, but were rather partial to the
one from The Weather Channel,
which is packed with useful features
and looks marvellous. It provides
hourly and 15-day forecasts in Celsius
or Fahrenheit, with detailed weather
conditions that include feels like
temperature, humidity, pollen alerts
and much more. You also get radar
maps of rainfall, snowfall, wind speed
and other useful information. The app
responds to Cortana commands and
uses Windows 10s Live Tiles to
display at-a-glance updates about
current conditions and temperatures
for your favourite locations.
The Weather Channel
previously had a Desktop
program for Windows, but
its app is much less bloated, doesnt
require the .NET Framework and isnt
bundled with junk.
4 - 17 May 2016 47
 Secret tricks for
WhatsApp
WhatsApp is now the most popularular
messaging app in the world, withh
more than a billion monthly users.
Edward Munn reveals 10 tips to help
you discover its best hidden features

Know when your messages turn this feature off, you wont be able this, tap the chats menu button, select
have been read to see when other people have read More and Block. Tap OK when
The symbols that appear next to your your messages either. WhatsApp warns you that you will no
sent WhatsApp messages tell you their From the same Settings menu, you longer receive calls or messages from
delivery status. One tick indicates that can choose who is allowed to see your that person.
the message has successfully reached personal information, including your
the server, two grey ticks show that the profile picture, status and when you
message been successfully delivered to were last online. Setting the Last seen Add chat shortcuts to your
the recipients phone, and two blue ticks option to Nobody means you wont be home screen
indicate that the recipient has read the able to see when any of your contacts For quick access
message. If you long-press a message were last online. to your favourite
then tap the i (information) button, the chats, why not
app shows you when it was both add a shortcut
Delivered and Read. Silence annoying group to your phones
chats home screen?
If youre regularly disturbed by group From
chats on WhatsApp, try muting them. WhatsApps
To do this, open the offending chat, tap Chats tab,
the three-dot button in the top-right long-press the
corner and select Mute. You can choose conversation
to silence the chat for eight hours, one you want to
week or a year, and untick Show make a shortcut
notifications to to and select
stop Add chat
notifications shortcut. An icon will appear on your
appearing in home screen, which you can move to a
your notification position of your choice.
drawer. If you
change your
Protect your privacy in mind, simply Share your location with
WhatsApp select the menu other people
If youd rather not allow people to see button again If youve ever
when youve and choose tried meeting
read their Unmute. someone in an
messages, you You can unfamiliar place,
can turn off the also mute youll know how
option that tells conversations difficult it can
them. From with specific people by opening the be to explain
WhatsApps appropriate conversation, tapping the where you are
Settings menu, menu button, selecting View
View using a vague
select Account contact and switching Muteute to description
and Privacy, On. Choose from the list of of your
then untick the mute options (as described surroundings.
box for Read above), then tap OK. If Thanks to
receipts. Bear in someone is a real pest, you can WhatsApps
mind that if you block them completely. To o do location

48 4 - 17 May 2016

sharing feature, youll never need to
do this again. To share your location
in a chat, tap the paperclip icon and
select Location, followed by Send
your current location. When the
recipient receives your location they
can tap it to launch Google Maps
and get directions to find you.
Chat in WhatsApp from
your PC
Wouldnt typing long messages in
WhatsApp be so much quicker and
easier if you could do it on your PC?
Well, in fact you can. To use WhatsApp
in your internet browser, open the apps
main menu and select WhatsApp Web.
Next, visit web.whatsapp.com in your
PCs web browser and use your
smartphone to scan the QR code that
appears onscreen. All your chats will be
displayed on the page for as long as
your phone is switched on and has an
internet connection, so you can
continue to use the messenger even
while your phone is charging in the next
room. In fact, as long as youve already
paired it with the PC, you can use
WhatsApp at work even if youve
accidentally left your phone at home.
Find important messages
quickly
When someone sends you information
in WhatsApp, such as an address or
telephone number, scrolling back
through reams of messages to find it
again can be annoying. To avoid this,
long-press the
message and
tap the star icon
to save it. Then,
when you need
it again, open
the apps main
menu and select
Starred
messages to
view all your
favourite
messages. To
find starred
messages from
Discuss WhatsApp tips at forum.webuser.co.uk
Secret tricks for WhatsApp
a particular contact, long-press the
relevant chat and select View contact.
The Starred messages option shows
you how many saved messages you
have in that conversation, and tapping it
lists them in chronological order.
If youre looking for a link that
someone sent you in a message you
didnt star, theres a trick for that, too.
Go to the appropriate chat and tap the
three-dot button. Select Media, then
Links to scroll through a chronological
list of all the links shared between you
and that contact. Youll also see tabs for
Media and Documents, which make it
easier to find any files youve shared
with that contact.
Make free voice calls over
Wi-Fi
WhatsApp lets you make free voice
calls whenever you have a Wi-Fi
connection, which is very handy when
youre abroad
and dont want
to pay
expensive
roaming
charges for
phoning home.
Even when
youre not
connected to
a wireless
network, the
feature can be
cost-effective if
you have a
phone contract geared towards free
mobile data rather than free phone
calls. To call someone with WhatsApp,
simply tap the phone button at the top
of the appropriate chat. If youve never
messaged them before, youll need to
use the Contacts tab to find them first.
Once youve made your first voice call,
you can use the Calls tab to review the
call log or to call the person again.
To keep the cost of calls down when
using mobile data, tap the three-dot
menu, select Settings and Data usage
then tick the box for Low
data usage.
Back up your
conversations
and received
images
These days, you
can back up
pretty much
anything on your
smartphone to
the cloud, and
WhatsApp chats are
no exception.
To set
WhatsApp to
back up to
Google Drive,
open the apps
main menu and
select Chats,
then Chat
backup. Tap
Back up to
Google Drive if
you want to
choose how
often the app saves backups, or select
the green Back Up button to back up
immediately. Youll be asked to select a
Google account to which youd like to
save your WhatsApp backups. Tap
Back up over to specify whether
WhatsApp can perform backups over
Wi-Fi or cellular or only Wi-Fi. If you
want to include videos in the backup,
tick the appropriate box. When you get
a new smartphone, you can restore
WhatsApp from your Google Drive
backups when you first run the app.
WhatsApp also lets you email a copy
of your chat history. To do this, long-
press the chat you want to send and tap
Email chat. Youre given the option to
include or exclude media files in the
email. WhatsApp then lets you choose
the app you want to use to send it.
Use Google Now to send
messages
If youd like to send someone a
WhatsApp message but youve got your
hands full, you can ask Google Now to
do it. Simply say OK Google then send
a WhatsApp message to Robert Irvine,
for example. Google Now will ask you
what youd like to send. After youve
dictated the message, Google will ask
Do you want to send it or change it?.
You can respond accordingly or use the
onscreen dialogue box to modify or
send the message.
4 - 17 May 2016 49
 Broadband Deals
Call FREE on 0800 083 2357 to switch your broadband
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xt issue of our sister title

In the ne
Computeractive SNEAK PREVIEW!

RIP-OFF SOFTWARE YOU MUST Disable useless keyboard shortcuts

NEVER USE And the best FREE
alternatives for each one Best new way to organise photos
PLUS AND Windows 10 Anniversary
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Give your eyes a rest from your computer by taking our
fiendish fortnightly challenges. Can you unravel our browser
add-ons word search and guess our classic-novel emoji?

U O O Z E Y X W Y Q L T
WEB USER WORD SEARCH
S U L P K C O L B D A B
Can you find the following browser
extensions in the grid on the right? O U K A Z G T A Z M S S
Names may appear vertically, horizontally
or diagonally, and forwards or backwards G N I C Z U N E P E T C
ADBLOCKPLUS G H E O A A N E J O P V
CAMELIZER H M C T Y M R C N V A S
DISCONNECT
GHOSTERY
O M U C A M E U V M S B
GRAMMARLY S U R T O B L L S O S E
LASTPASS
LAZARUS
T C E N N O C S I D D P
ONETAB E E K S P Z T V U Z F X
TAMPERMONKEY R E W G B T Q Q I T E R
ZENMATE
Y L R A M M A R G E Q R
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THESE CLASSIC NOVELS FROM THE EMOJI?
1 2

3 4

Get the answers online at bit.ly/quiz396

COMPETITIONS
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WIN 1 OF 4 E AC H WIN 1 OF 5 E AC H
TP-Link AV500 Powerline ac Serif PagePlus X9
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TP-Links latest kit which we Serifs PagePlus X9 remains
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distant corners of our test house. To simple interface easy to use. We were impressed enough
enter, email your address to to give it a five-star review in Issue 394. To enter, email
webusercomp@dennis.co.uk with powerline in the your address to webusercomp@dennis.co.uk with
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 Practical
16 pages of workshops, tips, projects
and problem solving

Use Googles free Nik Photoshop

plugins in Paint.NET
VIEWS
www.google.com/nikcollection These buttons let you
view a single image,
Googles Nik Collection of image-editing tools is a split preview or a
side-by-side preview
now free. Heres what you can do with them

W
hen Google bought Nik
Software in 2012, one of the
first things the company did
was slash the price of its collection of
image-editing Photoshop plug-ins and
tools from $500 (353) to $150 (106).
The same collection has now been made
entirely free for anyone to download and
use, and consists of seven plugins
Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver
Efex Pro, Viveza, HDR Efex Pro,
Sharpener Pro and Dfine. Its a fairly
sizable 429MB download and is available
for both Windows and Mac.
While the Nik plugins are designed to
work with Photoshop, they can also be
used in free image-editing software
Paint.NET (www.getpaint.net). Installing
and using them is easy but requires the
use of an additional free plugin.

1 1

2 2
4

1 2
First, download the latest version of
Paint.NETs PSFilterPDN plugin from
psfilterpdn.codeplex.com. Then open
Paint.NETs effects folder in Explorer its
likely to be at C:\Program Files\paint.net\
Effects. 1 Unzip and copy the files
PSFilterShim.exe and PSFilterPdn.dll to
the Effects folder. 2
SETTINGS
You dont need to run the The Settings button
PSFilterShim.exe file just copying it lets you configure
and the DLL into the folder will install it. certain elements of
Now run the Nik Collection installer. It will an effect, including
find compatible host applications, 1 but the default zoom
not Paint.NET. Click the plus sign, 2 and and preview mode
browse to C:\Program Files\paint.net\
Effects. 3 Click OK 4 then click Install.

2
2 3
3
1
1
2

3 1

3 Launch Paint.NET, open a photo, then

go to Effects and select 8bf Filter.
Locate the Nik Collection and open it. 1
You will see a list of all the available
effects. 2 Well start with Analog Efex
Pro, which makes photos look as if they
were taken on classic cameras and film
types. Select it and click Run Filter. 3
4 This tool presents you with a
selection of classic camera filters
down the left. 1 Select one, and the filter
will be applied to your photo in the large
preview window. 2 The sidebar on the
right 3 lets you customise the results by
making basic adjustments, tweaking the
lens vignette and changing the film type.
5 Color Efex Pro offers filters for colour
correction and creative effects. Select
any of the preset options on the left, 1
and youll see the result instantly. 2 You
can narrow down the list by subject (All,
Landscape, Wedding, Portrait and so on).
3 The right-hand bar offers options you
can use to tweak the effect.

52 4 - 17 May 2016
 Workshop 1

TOOLS
Depending on the filter,
the tools on the right
include Select, Pan,
Zoom In, Zoom Out,
Change Background
Colour and Hide or View
Adjustment Panels

LOUPE
This shows a preview of
a small portion of the
image. Click the pin
under the Loupe
window, then click the
image to set the point

1
1
1
2

2
3

6 HDR Efex Pro lets you apply High

Dynamic Range filters to your
pictures and offers a selection of presets
and customisation options. Silver Efex
Pro is for black-and-white photography.
Dfine automatically removes noise from
your image, based on your camera, and
you can then adjust the results. 1
7 Sharpener Pro 2 and 3 both do a
fantastic job of sharpening photos.
The latter fine-tunes your image based
on how it will be viewed on a display,
printed from an inkjet, as a halftone, and
so on. You can choose output settings for
it on the right. 1 You can also adjust
creative 2 and selective 3 sharpening.
8 Finally, Viveza gives you fine
manual control over your images
brightness, contrast, saturation and
structure. 1 Use the sliders to make
the adjustments you require. Theres
also a Levels and Curves feature. 2
Adding control points to your image
3 lets you make more precise edits.

Subscribe to Web User at subscribe.webuser.co.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 53

 Workshop 2

Use the popular BitTorrent tool

thats finally come to Windows
Transmission: www.transmissionbt.com | 20 mins | Vista, 7, 8, 10

T
ransmission is a BitTorrent program thats been available on OS X
and Linux computers for a decade, proving extremely popular with
downloaders on those operating systems. Its free, open-source,
lightweight and comes without any annoying extras or adverts, but
Transmission has been out of reach for Windows users until now.
The new Windows version is still in development but is extremely stable
and very similar to the other versions. It hasnt launched officially on the
main Transmission website yet, but if you scroll to the bottom of
Transmissions file storage area (bit.ly/tran396), youll see that there are
two Windows versions available. If you use a 64-bit version of Windows,
you should download and run transmission-2.92-x64.msi, while 32-bit
Windows users should opt for transmission-2.92-x86.msi.
If you havent used BitTorrent software before, Transmission is a great
place to start. It uses small files called torrents, which let the software
know where it can find the particular file you want to download. It then
downloads this larger file from the computers of any other people who are
currently sharing it through their own BitTorrent software.

1 2

3
2

1 2
When you start the program, youll see a Change To add a torrent file to Transmission, drag and drop it into
Session box. Choose Start Local Session 1 and click the main window 1 or click the Open Torrent button 2
OK. 2 Then search for the torrent of the file you and select it. This opens another window, where you can
want, and download it to your Downloads folder or any choose exactly what to download. Deselect any extras you
other folder you choose, as long as you can find it later. dont want by unticking their boxes in the Download column. 3

1
1 2
3
2

3
4
5

3 4
You can also use this window to change the destination Once the file has started downloading, you can use
folder, 1 change the files overall download priority (from the buttons in the toolbar to pause, resume or cancel
Normal to High or Low), 2 choose whether to start the torrent. 1 Clicking the button to the right of these 2
downloading the file immediately 3 or to delete the original displays the files properties. You can access further options
torrent file. 4 When youre ready, click the Open button. 5 by right-clicking the file. 3

54 4 - 17 May 2016
 Workshop 2
EXPERT TIP
Andy Shaw says
If youre downloading a lot of files, click the View menu and choose Compact View. This limits the
information displayed for each file to title, status and percentage downloaded. From here you can
also reorder your files by progress, size, time left and more. This can help you keep track of how your
downloads are going, and whether you need to adjust the download priority for particular files.

1
2

1 3

4 5

5 6
Further options are available in the Edit menu, under You can make quick changes to these settings by clicking
Preferences. 1 In the Speed tab 2 you can apply speed the cog button. 1 From here you can limit download and
limits to uploads and downloads, 3 and set a limit that upload speeds on the fly. 2 You can also change your
comes into effect on clicking the tortoise button 4 or to a seeding ratio, which is the number of times other users can
schedule 5 for times when you cant spare the bandwidth. download a file from you before you stop sharing.

1
2
2

7 8
The seeding ratio option is available in the Preferences, on The Downloading tab is where you manage your files. You
the Seeding tab. 1 As well as selecting and adjusting this can set the software to automatically download any
ratio, you can stop seeding any files that are no longer in torrent file you put in your Downloads folder, 1 and to
demand by choosing to terminate the seeding process if the remove the original torrent file when its done. 2 You can also
file is idle for a set period. 2 limit the number of files Transmission can download at once. 3

2 1

9 10
Override the programs preferences for individual files by As in Step 2, the Files tab lets you adjust the
right-clicking them and selecting Properties. The Options priority of individual files within a zipped file,
tab lets you specify a different speed 1 and seeding 2 which is useful if youre downloading a series
limit for the particular file youve selected. and want to start watching the first episode. Right-click
the individual element to change its priority. 1

Get more practical advice at forum.webuser.co.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 55

 Workshop 3
Stop picture messages hogging your phone
S
ending image files has never been easier thanks to
Hangouts, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, but one
drawback of these apps is that your smartphone quickly
fills up with the images (and videos) youve been sent. In this
Android messaging apps | 10 mins |
1 2
Your phones own
messaging app is
probably set to retrieve
MMS (Multimedia Messaging
Service) messages by default
but its more secure to turn
this feature off. This has the
added benefit of saving
space on your phone. To turn
1 off auto-retrieve in Googles
Messenger, tap the menu
button, select Settings and
Advanced, and set the
Auto-retrieve switch to the
off position. 1
3 4
Facebook Messenger
wont save photos to
1 your Gallery by default,
but you might have activated
this option at some point in
the past. If so, you can switch
it off again by tapping the
Account icon, selecting
Photos & Media and turning
Save Photos to off. 1
5 6
Tap OK, select When
connected on Wi-Fi
and repeat the process
from Step 4, making sure
all the options are unticked
1 before selecting OK. 2
The next time a contact
sends you something,
youll see a preview of the
1 file (including its size) to
help you decide whether
or not to download it.
2
56 4 - 17 May 2016
Workshop, we show you how to stop these
messaging apps downloading files automatically
and how to reclaim the space those files have
already taken up.
Android
If Hangouts is your
default messaging
app, tap its menu
button, select Settings
and SMS, and scroll down
to Advanced. From here,
2 switch Auto retrieve MMS
to off. 1 You can also
enable the option to Delete
old messages, 2 which
removes the oldest pictures
when your storage is low.
1
WhatsApp downloads
photos and videos
to your device by
default but you can easily
stop this happening. Open
the apps main menu, select
1 Settings and choose Data
usage. Under Media auto-
download, select When
using mobile data 1 and
make sure the options for
images, audio, videos and
documents arent ticked.
To see how much of
your devices storage
is taken up by photos
youve been sent, open
Settings, select Storage
& USB and look for the
Images 1 option. Tapping
this lets you browse all the
images on your device. You
can then delete individual
files or entire folders.
1
 Workshop 4

Find files that arent on your PC

I
f you keep your computers hard drive tidy by backing
up older files to external hard drives or writeable
DVDs, youll know that this can make it trickier to find
your files later, especially if you cant remember where
to start looking. InDeep File List Maker
creates lists of the files and folders you
keep on external storage devices, and
uses these to help you find them again.

InDeep File List Maker: bit.ly/indeep396 | 20 mins | XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10

1 3
1
2
3

2 4

1 2
You dont need to install the software just unzip the Click the Create file list button. 1 The software will
folder, save it to your hard drive and double-click create a list of all the folders and files on the drive and
FLM.exe. Plug in the drive you want to index. On the display it below. 2 Click Save file list 3 and give the
Create lists tab, 1 click Select folder 2 and choose from list a name that will help you locate the particular drive or
the Browse For Folder list, 3 or choose an entire drive. 4 disc should you need to search for a file on it. 4

1 1 2
4 3
4

3 4
To control how lists are created, click the cog button. 1 Click the Find in lists tab 1 and type your search term
Select List empty folders and List file size 2 to add into the box. 2 The software will search across all the
these items to your list. You can choose whether or not lists saved in its Lists folder. Individual lists are
to display the list after its created. 3 Scan depth lets you separated with a bullet point. 3 You can then see file and
choose how many layers of subfolders 4 to index. folder matches for each drive below its list name. 4

1 2

1 2

5 6
Use the tick boxes across the top to refine your search. The Exact box 1 displays results that are a
Match 1 shows only exact results for a specific word, so perfect match for the search you typed, while
it wont show a word if its within another word (such as the Case box 2 only shows results where your
words with an s added). Tick the Order box 2 to show only capitalisation matches. If you only want to show
words that appear in the same order you typed them. folders, add a \ separator to the text box. 3

Get more practical advice at forum.webuser.co.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 57

 Weekend Project MTWTFSS

Get to grips with some serious PC DIY to boost

your computers performance

How to
... Fix USB sticks you thought
were beyond repair
Have you got any USB flash memory drives that simply dont work?
Wayne Williams shows you how to breathe new life into broken drives

U
SB flash drives are handy little things that can be cant reformat or copy content to, or that your computer
used for many purposes from carrying and simply wont recognise. This can be devastating,
sharing files to installing and running an operating particularly if the drive holds the only copy some
opy of so
system. These sticks are robust for the most part, and important personal data. However, the good news is that
should last a long time. But sometimes they can go you might be able to resurrect
ect a problematic drive and
wrong, and suddenly youre left with a flash drive you rescue your files.

Reformat
at the drive
Formatting g an apparently broken
br drive
(wiping it and
nd starting
starti afresh) can fix all
sorts of problems. You can do this
directly in Windows. Open Explorer,
right-click the drive (making sure you
select the correct one) and choose
Format. Check that the capacity is
correct and pick the file system you
require. Depending on the drive and your
requirements, this will be FAT32, NTFS or
exFAT. You can set the allocation unit size
(or select the default if you dont
understand what this means), restore
device defaults (which may fix any
problems youre having) and give the
drive a new name. You can choose
between a quick or regular format. The
former is much speedier, as the name
suggests, because it simply wipes any
files. A regular format is more thorough,
as it scans for bad sectors as well as
removing files. If youre having repeated
problems with a drive, a regular format is
the best option, even though its slower.
Write-protection is stuck
Some USB flash drives have a physical
switch that activates write-protection,
safeguarding its contents from accidental
deletion. If you want to format a
protected drive or write some files to it,
look for this switch and turn it off to

58 4 - 17 May 2016
 Weekend Project

disable the protection. Occasionally,

however, you might encounter the write
protect message on a drive that doesnt
have a write protect switch. This often
happens when a flash drive detects a
potential fault with itself and goes into
write-protected mode to prevent
possible data loss.
When this happens theres a very
good chance the drive has developed
a hardware fault, and you may need to
give up on it and buy a replacement.
Before you do that, however, its
worth trying to fix the problem
with a simple Registry tweak.
Press Windows+R, type regedit and
press Enter. Wait for the Registry Editor
to load, then navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ Microsofts DiskPart may be able to fix drives that other tools cant
Control\StorageDevicePolicies
Double-click the WriteProtect value in If theres no StorageDevicePolicies USB drive. Press Windows+R and
the right-hand pane and change the entry on your computer, youll need to type chkdsk x: /r, replacing
Value data from 1 to 0. Click OK to save create it manually. Right-click on Control x with whatever letter has been
the change. Close the Registry Editor and and select New, then Key. Give this key assigned to the flash drive.
restart your computer. Connect your USB the name StorageDevicePolicies. If that doesnt work either (and,
drive again and hopefully it will no longer Select it, right-click, and select New, then frankly, theres a good chance it wont),
be write-protected. DWORD (32-bit) Value. Enter its name the final thing to try is to use Diskpart
as WriteProtect. to perform a special format on the
Double-click the drive. Click the Start button and type
new WriteProtect cmd. Right-click the Command Prompt
key in the right-hand and choose Run as administrator. In
window and make sure the box that opens, type the following,
the value is set to 0 in pressing Enter after each line:
the Value Data box. diskpart
Click OK, then restart list disk
your computer and try Note the number of your flash drive,
copying some files to which is based on its capacity.
your drive. select disk x (replacing x with the
If that isnt successful drive number)
USB drives can get their write-protection stuck, which you you can try running attributes disk clear readonly
can fix using Registry Editor Check Disk on the clean

MINI WORKSHOP | Fix USB drive problems with Windows Disk Management tool

1
1

1 To launch Disk Management, press

Windows+R, type diskmgmt.msc
and press Enter. In Windows 10 you
can right-click the Start button and
select Disk Management here. In the
window that opens, look for the
problem drive in the list. 1
2 If the drive isnt listed as Healthy or
doesnt have a drive letter assigned
to it, thats likely to be the cause of your
problems. Right-clicking the drive name
on the left 1 will let you assign a drive
letter or path. If the drive is shown as
unallocated space, 2 it means the
partition(s) may have been deleted.
3 In the case of partition problems,
you can try using TestDisk (bit.
ly/test396) to fix the partition and
recover your data. Run the software,
and in the menu that appears, select
the option to Analyse current partition
structure. 1 Other tools are available
that you can use to troubleshoot and
fix any problems that are identified.

Subscribe to Web User at subscribe.webuser.co.uk 4 - 17 May 2016 59

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at bit.ly/guidetosoftware at bit.ly/raspbook

TestDisk can fix a variety of drive-related problems with its
text-based interface
If Diskpart reports an error here, youll
have to try something else, but if
everything seems to be working up to
this point, you can proceed with
formatting the drive. Type these
commands:
create partition primary
format fs=fat32
(you can replace fat32 with NTFS if
thats the file system you want)
exit
Wrong drive capacity
One of the more annoying problems you
can encounter with a USB flash drive is
when it reports the wrong capacity, such
as a 32GB drive incorrectly showing as
242MB, for example. Assuming the drive
actually has the capacity it claims to have
and isnt a fake (drives purchased on
eBay can sometimes be a different size
to the one advertised), this can be due to
a formatting problem. You can attempt
to reformat the drive in Windows, but
MINI WORKSHOP | Scan and fix a drive in Windows
1 Since Windows Vista, Microsofts
operating systems have been
able to detect when a connected
USB flash drive has a problem,
whether its an issue with the drive
itself or some files on it. When you
plug in the drive you might see
an alert. 1 Clicking this message
launches the tool to scan and fix it.
NEXT ISSUE How To... Access your home network from anywhere
Subscribe to Web User at subscribe.webuser.co.uk
that may not fix the
issue. ImageUSB
(bit.ly/iusb396) is a
free tool that you
can use to back up
the contents of a
drive and then
format it, fixing the
partition structure
and hopefully Image USB makes a copy of the files on your USB drive then
reclaiming the attempts to reformat it
missing drive
space. ImageUSB can only format drives
using the NTFS file system, but once
youve got your missing space back, you
can always use Windows (or another
tool) to reformat the drive using the file
system of your choice.
Unrecognised drive
Plugging in a USB drive and finding that
Windows fails to recognise it can be
heart-stoppingly scary. There are several
possible causes, ranging from a faulty
2
2 The window that opens will ask if you
want to Scan and fix the drive, 1
which is the recommended option, or
Continue without scanning. 2 It also
provides some useful information about
how the problem could have occurred
removing the device before all the data
was written to it is a common cause.
Weekend Project
USB port or software driver to a corrupt
partition. Its also possible that your drive
has simply died nothing lasts forever.
The first thing to do is try a different
USB port, and if that doesnt work, a
different port on a different PC. You can
also try turning the PC off and back on
again. Avoid using a hub plug the drive
straight into a port on your PC.
If none of that helps, try using the Disk
Management tool in Windows (see Mini
Workshop on previous page).
1
2
3 Click the Scan option and Windows
will look for problems on the drive.
If it finds errors, it will offer to Repair
drive. 1 Click this and hopefully it will
fix the problem. If you dont want to
repair the drive, you can just click
Cancel. 2 If the error reoccurs, youll
need to investigate the possible root
cause or run Check Disk.
On sale
Wedn
esday
18 May
4 - 17 May 2016 61
 Web Users Top Tips
Our experts show you how to extend Chromes
features without installing memory-hogging add-ons

TOP TIPS FOR LIGHTER CHROME TOOLS

Get Tampermonkey

A
dd-ons are a brilliant feature in
Chrome that let you bring in extra
tools and make the browser more
useful. Theyre not the only way to extend
Chromes capabilities, though, as you can
also install simple userscripts. These are
smaller and use fewer resources than
add-ons, and they perform different
functions. They are especially useful for
modifying web pages, such as adding extra
features or removing annoyances.
Tampermonkey 4 is a new version of a
Chrome add-on that makes userscripts easy
to install and manage. Download it from
bit.ly/tamp396. Once installed, it adds a
button to the right of the address box. Click
this to access the Dashboard and try the
userscripts weve highlighted here. There
are thousands more you can try for yourself. Install lightweight scripts using Tampermonkey to add new features to Chrome

Better Google searches updated in the past day, week, month or contain thumbnails and links to
Google produces so many search results year. Hovering your mouse over these images. When this script is installed
that it can be hard to find what youre displays further options, so instead of and enabled, let the mouse hover over
looking for. Narrow your search and 1W (one week), you can choose 2W, 3W a thumbnail or link and the full image
focus on something specific to get the and so on. Click these to broaden appears in the browser window. This
results you need. Google Search Extra searches by the specified time. means you can view full-size images
Buttons (bit.ly/goobut396) is a script without leaving the current page.
that does that by providing additional View images from thumbnails The script only works with links and
search buttons. Mouseover Popup Image Viewer (bit.ly/ thumbnails that click through to
After installing the script, go to www view396) is useful on websites that JPEGs and other image formats. Links
.google.co.uk and type in something
you want to search for. Youll see several
new buttons under the Search button,
which you can use to refine your search.
The PDF button limits your search to
.pdf files, and DOC finds .doc files. The
1D, 1W, 1M and 1Y buttons limit the
results to web pages that have been

If you see words that look like

theyve been typed in a
typewriter, follow the instructions
and type them exactly as they
appear, paying close attention to
spaces and punctuation.
Google Search Extra Buttons adds easy-to-access filters

64 4 - 17 May 2016

that go to a page where the image is
displayed will not trigger the Popup
Image Viewer. Try it at bit.ly/winwp396.
Stop scripts running
Its a good idea to stop scripts running
while youre using online banking or
buying something online, because you
dont want to risk them scanning pages
that contain private information. The
safest way to bank and shop is to open
an Incognito window from the menu or
press Ctrl+Shift+N. Extensions arent
allowed in Incognito mode unless you
have specifically enabled them, and
because Tampermonkey isnt running,
the scripts you have installed wont run.
If youd prefer to use Chrome in
normal mode, click the Tampermonkey
icon to the right of the address box. In
the panel that appears, click Dashboard
to list all the scripts and use the
switches to turn them all off.
Bring back Tampermonkey
If you find that the Tampermonkey
button has disappeared, it may have
been disabled by a Chrome update. To
restore it, go to the menu and then
choose More tools, Extensions. Tick the
Enabled box next to Tampermonkey.
Browse Pinterest
Pinterest is a great place to browse
for things youre interested in, and
youll find many thousands of images
covering a huge range of topics. If
you are not logged in, however, the
site pesters you to sign up, which is
irritating. Fortunately, there is a script
that hides the annoying pop-up and
lets you browse Pinterest privately
and unimpeded, so you can choose to
sign up or log in when it suits you. Go
to bit.ly/fork396 and click the Install
button. Tampermonkey appears and
offers to install it for you. Click Install
and you can browse Pinterest freely.
Avoid bad scripts
Scripts have access to everything on a
web page, so they can see what youre
doing online. This is a security risk, so
you should install only those scripts that
you trust. If you have any doubt about a
script, avoid it.
Greasy Fork (greasyfork.org) offers
thousands of scripts, which it rates with
a traffic light system. When browsing
the scripts, you will see green, amber
and red circles on the page with
numbers in them. Green is good, red is
bad and amber is OK. Install only those
scripts that have a high number in the
green circle because those are the best.
Avoid any that have a significant
number in the red circle.
Visit our Hints & Tips forum at forum.webuser.co.uk
Web Users Top Tips
TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
More advanced tips for when youre feeling brave
Manage scripts and get information on
Use the Dashboard them using the Dashboard
Go to the Dashboard by clicking the
Tampermonkey button, then clicking your scripts so you have the same
Dashboard. This provides information options on each computer. This is
and lets you perform several useful possible if youre signed into your
functions, so getting to know your Google account in each Chrome
way around it is a good idea. The browser, but the option to sync scripts
Dashboard lists your scripts, with an is not enabled by default you have
on-off switch to the left of each one, to go into the settings.
which you can use to enable or Click the Tampermonkey icon in the
disable it. The Last Updated column toolbar and click Dashboard. Select
tells you when a script was last the Settings tab and, at the top, set
updated. Click the time/date to check the Config mode to Advanced. Scroll
for a new changed version of a script. down the page and look for the
Some scripts are designed to work section called TESLA. Set the Type to
with only one website, such as Chrome Sync, tick Enable TESLA and
Facebook, Pinterest, Google search click the Save button.
and so on. Hover your
mouse over the icons
in the Sites column to
see which websites a
script can access.
There are more icons
in the Features
column, which show
whether a script has
full internet access,
whether it can access Enable TESLA to sync userscripts between computers
secure HTTPS pages
and so on. Keep an eye on which sites Import and export
and pages a script is allowed to The sync facility is useful for making
access, and consider turning scripts two Chrome browsers the same, but
off when theyre not being used. only for your own account. If someone
else has a user account on the
Delete a script computer, or you want to give
Open the Tampermonkey Dashboard userscripts to a friend, you should use
and tick the box to the left of the the export and import facility.
scripts you no longer want to use. An Click the Tampermonkey button in
action control appears above the Chrome and click Dashboard. Select
scripts. Select Remove, then click the the Utilities tab, and youll see two
Start button. There are also icons in options: Zip and File. Each of these
the Actions column on the right-hand has an Export button and a Choose
side. Hover your mouse over each one file button. Zip is the best option
and a pop-up tip box appears because it results in one file that is
showing the icons function. One of easily copied or emailed. Click Export
these icons deletes the script. and a zip file of the userscripts is
saved to the Downloads folder on
Sync your scripts your hard drive. Email this to the other
If you have two or more computers person or put it on a USB flash
running Chrome, or two different memory drive and then transfer it to
versions of Windows on one the other computer. They should click
computer, you might want to sync Choose file and select the zip.
4 - 17 May 2016 65
 Ask the Expert
Roland Waddilove, computer programmer and PC
journalist since 1981, answers all your technical questions.
Email us for help at webuser@dennis.co.uk
BROWSERS
Stop Chrome running
in the background
Q When I run the latest version of
CCleaner (bit.ly/cclean396), it tells
me it has cleaned Google Chrome, but
when I check, I find that the Chrome
files have not been deleted. Earlier
versions of CCleaner deleted Chrome
files. How can I solve this problem?
Vic Poulton, via email
A This is probably not a fault with
CCleaner but is due to the fact
that Chrome runs in the background.
CCleaner cant remove files from an
application while its running because
it might cause it to crash or corrupt
important files. Chrome can continue
to run in the background even when
the browser window is closed, which
is why CCleaner fails to clean it.
INTERNET
Restore blocked net access
Q My laptop recently had a virus that
turned off Windows Defender and
stopped me accessing the internet. I
restored Windows Defender using the
local group policy editor and then ran it,
along with AVG (www.avg.com). This
seemed to rid me of the virus and I was
able to access the internet again.
However, now when I log in, I am unable
to connect to the internet until the
laptop has been on for 20-30 minutes.
How can I fix this?
Alastair Coulson, via email
A This is a strange problem with no
obvious cause, so youll have to try
a few things. First, check that the PC is
free of malware. Get the free version of
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (bit.ly/
mbam396) or Emsisoft Emergency Kit
(bit.ly/emsis396) and scan the PC.
Windows saves your network settings,
so it might help to clear them and get a
fresh connection. In Windows 10, press
Windows+i to open Settings and click
66 4 - 17 May 2016
Chrome can run in the background even
after youve quit unless you stop it
Go to the Chrome menu and select
Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of
the screen and click Show advanced
settings. In the System section, clear
the tick against Continue running
background apps when Google
Chrome is closed. Doing this will
mean you miss out on notifications
and useful apps such as Google Keep,
but you should be able to clean
Chrome with CCleaner.
Network & Internet. Select Wi-Fi and
click the wireless connection, followed
by Disconnect. Then click Manage WiFi
settings and scroll down to the list of
networks you use. Click each one and
select Forget. Then restart Windows,
click the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar and
select your router to connect to it.
If youre still suffering from a 20-30
minute wait, try switching off the router,
waiting 10 seconds and then switching
back on. Routers sometimes get in a
muddle and need to be rebooted. It
might also help to create a new user
account. Open User Accounts in the
Forget a network if it is troublesome, then
reboot and reconnect to it
Control Panel (you may have to click
User Accounts again on the next page)
and click Manage another account.
Click the link, Add a new user in PC
settings. New accounts are created with
default Windows settings, so if this
works, it points to a settings problem
with your account.
It might also help to check for driver
updates. Click Start or the search box in
Windows 10 and start to type Device
Manager. When it appears in the search
results, click to open the program.
Expand the Network adapters section,
right-click each item and select Update
Driver Software.
GENERAL PC
Block the Windows 10 update
Q Ive heard that GWX Control Panel
(bit.ly/gwxcp396) will stop the
incessant reminders to convert to
Windows 10. Is it safe and worthwhile?
D Leoni, via email
A This tool is well known and many
people say it works. Windows 10 is a
free upgrade until 29 July but it wont
be free forever, so if you change your
mind after that, you may have to pay for
it. Not everyone is happy with Windows
10, but most people find it works fine.
BROWSERS
Release Chrome from a hijack
Q A few days ago, I clicked the
Chrome icon to search the web and
noticed that my homepage had been
altered. I was looking at a homepage
from search site mpc.am. I searched for
it on Google, and the results advised
that its a browser hijacker.
I have tried in vain to remove it using
various downloaded programs, including
IObit Uninstaller (bit.ly/iobit396),
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (bit.ly/
mbam396) and Malwarebytes
FileASSASSIN (bit.ly/file396). However,
every time I open Chrome, the page is
back. Im not sure where the program
came from maybe it slipped through
with another download but Id really
like to get rid of it.
Tony Fresher, via email

A Browser hijackers like this have two
components. One is a program that
is installed in the usual way, and the
other is installed in the browser. Go to
Programs and Features in the Control
Panel or run IObit Uninstaller. Look at
each program and uninstall anything
that sounds like a search tool or browser
toolbar. For example, Search.mpc.am,
Search Helper, Safe Search or similar.
After that, run Chrome, click the menu
button and select More tools, then
Extensions. Click the bin on the right of
any extension you dont want or
recognise. Next, return to the menu and
click Settings. In the On startup section
select Open a specific page or set of
pages and click Set pages. Hover your
mouse over all the unwanted items and
click the cross on the right, leaving the
one you want to use as your homepage.
In the Search section of the Settings
page, select Google from the list of
search engines, and click the Manage
search engines button. Hover your
mouse over each search engine in the
list that you want to delete and click the
cross on the right.
That should be sufficient to clean up
Chrome and get it working properly.
However, if all else fails, select your
profile in the People section and click
the Remove button (you can sign in
again later). Scroll to the bottom of the
page and click Show advanced
settings, then scroll all the way down
and click the Reset settings button.
Set the search engine to use in Chrome
and delete those you dont want
ANDROID
Store music on a phone
Q I have moved from an Apple iPhone
5 to a third-generation Moto G and
Im very happy with the switch. I have
13GB of music stored on the new
phones internal 32GB of storage. In the
past, I simply copied each artist folder
from my Google Drive to my Windows
10 PC and then to my phone, but now
Google Play just adds it to my playlist,
and its a mess. Are there any apps that
work better with folders on my Moto G
This fortnight Roland has been using a long Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi to get a 1Gbps connection
Find more solutions to PC and web problems at forum.webuser.co.uk
so that my music library remains in the
folders I originally created?
Graham Ogle, via email
A You have several options. First, if
you have space on OneDrive, you
could create a Music folder and move all
your music to that from Google Drive.
Then Install the Microsoft Groove music
app on your phone and you can stream
your music. OneDrive provides 5GB of
space for free but you can get more by
agreeing to upload photos and so on.
Alternatively, instead of storing your
music on Google
Drive, you could
upload it to
Google Play
Music. It doesnt
use any of your
Drive space and
you can stream
the music to
your computer,
phone or tablet
for free. Go to
play.google.com
and select Music
Stream your music on the left.
from OneDrive with Select My Music,
Microsoft Groove then click the
menu button to open the left panel.
Scroll down to the bottom and click
Upload music. Drag files and folders
from the PCs hard drive to the browser
window and drop them to upload them.
Google Play Music organises the music
and adds artwork.
WINDOWS 10
Bring back missing
Start tiles
Q I own an HP TouchSmart 300 PC
and a Linx 1010b tablet. Last night,
I noticed that a tile was missing from
the Start menu of each. I cant
remember which, but they may be for
the same app. Can I get them back?
Darren, via email
A During a major Windows update,
apps may be removed because
theyre incompatible or no longer
supported. Anyone who upgraded
from Windows 8 will have noticed that
some apps disappeared, like the
People app, while others were
renamed, such as Music to Groove
Music. Some people have reported
that software has been removed, too.
Ask the Expert
These streaming-music apps cache
the music you listen to, storing it on the
device. This means you can listen offline
so you dont use your mobile data.
Theres an entire category dedicated
to music and video in the Google Play
Store. Youll find lots of great apps here,
such as Just Music Player, Pulsar Music
Player, BlackPlayer Music Player, and
many more. Try out a few of the highest
scoring music apps, and keep the best.
SECURITY
Can SterJo be used as
malware?
Q Can the SterJo software (sterjosoft
.com) featured in Issue 393 be
hidden in an email to someone and used
to gain sensitive information?
Stuart McWhinney, via email
A SterJo tools are not designed to be
hidden and run remotely, or to send
information back over the internet. They
must be run manually, and they retrieve
information stored on the computer and
display it on the screen.
Its possible to create malware that
performs as you suggest, though. A
program could be attached to an email
and the recipient encouraged to save
and run it, with a message like Youve
won the lottery. Open the attached file
to claim your prize. Thats basically
how a lot of malware is spread these
days. Unfortunately, some people
believe emails like this, open the
attachment and become infected.
Apps can be abandoned, disabled or
even deleted during Windows updates
There are two things you can do.
First, check the All apps menu on the
Start button. Its possible that the tile
has been removed but the software is
still there. If so, you can add it to Start
by right-clicking it and selecting Pin
to Start. If the software has been
removed, try reinstalling it. Open the
Store app and search for the app, or
go to the software companys website
and download the latest version.
4 - 17 May 2016 67
Your Top Tips
Our pick of the best advice from our
readers. To get help or offer it to others,
visit forum.webuser.co.uk
TOP TIP
TELEVISION
Get a discount on Now TV
I bought a Now TV box for
the bargain price of 15 in
January because I wanted
to convert my old television
into a Smart TV and access
apps such as the BBC
iPlayer, ITV Player and All4.
The version I bought also
came with a free three-
month subscription to
Skys Entertainment
package, which was an Now TV offered a subscription at a reduced rate
added bonus.
When I checked my
bank statement last week, however, I
noticed that Id been charged 6.99 for rate of 3.49 a month. I still decided
the Now TV service, because my three
free months were up. I logged into the
website (www.nowtv.com), clicked
My passes from the My Account
drop-down menu and selected Cancel,
as I had no interest in paying for Skys
Entertainment channels. When I did
so, I was immediately offered four
INTERNET
Remove a default Wi-Fi
network
My BT Home Hub router creates two
Wi-Fi networks: the normal one and
another one called BT WiFi-with-FON. I
never use this and I dont know anyone
else who does. I searched for information
about it and the idea is that it turns your
router into a Wi-Fi hotspot that other
people can use. For some strange
If your PC always connects to the wrong
Wi-Fi network, select it and click Forget
68 4 - 17 May 2016
Mug
winner
ANDROID
Open settings drawer quickly
I was browsing Twitter the other day
when I read a useful tip posted by the
official Android
account
(@android). It
said that to open
your devices
settings drawer,
you can simply
swipe down from
when Russell attempted to cancel the service the top of the
screen with two
months of the service at a reduced fingers, instead of
swiping down to
to cancel my subscription but I open the
thought Id pass on the information notification tray
Access Androids
in case it can save other readers a then having to
settings drawer by
few quid. And if you do buy a Now swipe down swiping down with
TV box, dont forget that youll be again to access two fingers
charged for the service once your the settings. Im
free trial is over unless you cancel it! not sure when this was introduced but it
Russell Watts, via email definitely makes things quicker.
Rob, via email
reason, however, my laptop started WINDOWS 10
connecting to it by default whenever I Use the emoji keyboard
switched it on. I managed to solve the My new Windows 10 laptop has a
problem by forgetting the network, touchscreen but I was struggling to find
which stopped my laptop connecting to a use for it. A mouse and keyboard are
it automatically. I then selected my so much easier to use, and tapping the
normal Wi-Fi network, and it now screen makes it wobble. However, I have
connects to that by default instead. finally found something it is useful for:
If anyone else has this problem, they entering emoji characters.
should open Settings (I use Windows 10) Tap the keyboard button at the right of
and click Network & Internet. Select the the taskbar. If you cant see it, right-click
WiFi section, then click Manage WiFi
settings. Find BTWiFi-with-FON (or any
other network you want to stop
connecting to automatically), click it,
then click the Forget button. This wont
stop you connecting to the network later
if you choose, as you can simply enter
the password, but your PC will no longer
connect automatically. You can click the
wireless icon in the taskbar and click any
network in the list to connect to it. Enter emoji characters using the onscreen
Dave Harris, via email keyboard in Windows 10

the taskbar with the mouse and select
Show touch keyboard button. The
keyboard button opens a large keyboard
on the screen and, unlike the one on the
computer, it has an emoji button. Press it
and the letter and number keys are
replaced by emojis. You can then tap the
ones you want to enter into whichever
program youre using. The bottom row
switches between emoji character sets,
which include emojis for people, party,
travel, weather and more.
Once youve entered the emoji
characters you want, click the cross in
the corner of the keyboard to hide it.
Sarah Baker, via email
IOS
Fix bug to send text
messages while abroad
I recently had to resort to taking two
phones abroad with me because my
iPhone 4S wouldnt send or receive text
messages from UK numbers, even
though many of them were stored in
my contacts. Apple told me the problem
was with the phone and that I should
take it in for repair.
For the next trip, I upgraded to a 5S,
but the problem persisted. The solution
turned out to be to remove the +44 or
0044 country code wherever it
appeared in my saved contacts, and to
replace it with a 0. Im not sure whether
O2 or Apple is responsible for the bug
but I didnt have the same problem with
an old PAYG Samsung on Vodafone.
Alastair Newton, via email
GENERAL PC
Refresh your Desktop
After moving a few important files to
my Desktop using Explorer, I was
shocked to discover that they werent
there later when I needed them. Before
reaching a full state of panic, however, I
remembered a trick that a friend had told
me a few years earlier, which is to refresh
the Desktop manually. To do this, simply
right-click the Desktop and select
Refresh (you can also press F5 when the
Right-click the Desktop and select
Refresh to update its icons
Send your tips to webuser@dennis.co.uk win a Web User mug!
Desktop is in view). Doing this made my
transferred files and a few other shortcut
icons reappear. So the next time you
have problems with your Desktop, give
this a try before going through the
rigmarole of Restarting your PC.
Will, via email
IOS
Activate Caps Lock on iPhone
It might already be common knowledge
but I didnt know there was a way of
activating Caps Lock on an iPhone.
Indeed, when I had to enter the key for
my sons wireless router last week, he
watched me tap the Shift key for every
letter before asking why I wasnt using
Caps Lock. I had certainly wondered in
the past if such a thing existed, but
long-pressing the Shift button didnt
work, so I gave up looking.
To activate the Caps Lock, simply
double-tap the Shift key. The arrow
turns black and has a black line under it.
To deactivate it, simply press the Shift
key again. Finding this out has saved me
so much time.
Jane Bennett, via email
go to Firefoxs main menu and choose
The Shift button has a line below it when
Caps Lock is activated
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Filter your Facebook feed
If your Facebook news feed is full of
things you dont want to see, you can
hide them and make sure your friends
posts come first. Click the tiny arrow in
the top-right corner of Facebook to
show the menu and select News Feed
Preferences. A box offering various
options appears, the first of which is
Prioritise who to see first. Click it and
select Friends only in the drop-down
menu. Ive tried this, and your friends
posts really do appear before any others.
Back in the options, select Unfollow
people to hide their posts. This doesnt
only unfollow people but also those
pages you once liked but that now post
10 times a day, filling your news feed with
things youre no longer interested in. You
can undo unfollows by following them
again use Reconnect with people you
have unfollowed and click the people or
pages you want to see.
J Hall, via email
Readers Tips
BROWSERS
Create your own Firefox
buttons
If youve ever wanted to add your own
button to Firefox, theres a great add-on
you should try called Custom Buttons
(bit.ly/custom396). I use Gmail a lot, so
Ive created a Gmail login button that
provides me with a shortcut without
having to go to the Bookmarks Toolbar.
First, you need to search Google
images for a suitable icon. Its best to use
a PNG file with a transparent
background, if you can find one. The
Gmail Icon I use is from bit.ly/gmail396.
Save the icon somewhere you can find it
easily, such as your Documents folder.
Launch Firefox and press the Alt key to
show the Menu Bar. Under View, select
Add New Button, and a new window
opens. Leave the Button URL field blank.
In Name, type something like Gmail
Login, and in Image, browse to and
select your previously saved icon. Finally,
in the Code window, add the following
text in the line below /*CODE*/:
loadURI(https://accounts.
google.com/ServiceLogin?servic
e=mail&continue=https://mail.
google.com/mail/#identifier/);
Click OK and you can then remove the
Menu Bar with the Alt key.
To add the button youve just created,
Customize. You should be able to see
your Gmail icon on the page that
appears, so simply drag it to where you
want it, then exit Customize.
For more help with creating buttons
and getting scripts that other people
have created, visit the handy forum at
bit.ly/customforum396.
JayH, Web User Forums
Custom Buttons lets you create your own
Firefox button
GENERAL PC
Change volume using the
mouse wheel
Heres a quick tip I discovered last
week that might be of help to your
readers. When you click the speaker
icon in the notification area, you can
alter the volume by scrolling the mouse
wheel, as well as by dragging the slider
up and down.
Ian Mckellar, via email
4 - 17 May 2016 69

TELEVISION
How can I access online
content from my TV?
Q I thought that by connecting my
Sky+ HD box to my router Id be
able to access YouTube and the like on
my TV, but it appears this isnt possible.
Am I correct in thinking I could buy some
sort of dongle for one of the remaining
HDMI ports that would let me access
services including YouTube and BBC
iPlayer? I dont have a smartphone, so I
would need a device that comes with its
own remote control.
Scooby, Web User Forums
A Googles Chromecast lets you
access apps for YouTube, BBC
iPlayer and All4 through your TV, but
you need a smartphone or tablet to
control it so thats no good for you.
Roku (www.roku.com), on the other
hand, produces a range of excellent
streaming devices that come with their
own remotes and offer a wider range of
apps and channels than most of their
competitors. Whats more, you can
connect the Roku 2 and Roku 3 to your
router using an Ethernet cable for a more
reliable internet connection than most
streaming sticks can provide over Wi-Fi.
If you only want to use YouTube
and apps for the main terrestrial
channels, however, Skys Now TV
box (www.nowtv.com/box) probably
offers the best value. The current
model contains the same hardware as
the Roku 2 but costs a fraction of the
price the version that comes with a
three-month Entertainment package
Skys Now TV is built using the same
hardware as a Roku 2
70 4 - 17 May 2016
Readers Helpdesk
Our pick of the best solutions posted on our
reader forums. Visit forum.webuser.co.uk
its friendly and free!
SOFTWARE
Whats the best program for
downloading podcasts?
Q Can anyone
recommend a good
program for downloading
podcasts? I was using
Juice but it seems to have
stopped working, even
after I uninstalled and
reinstalled it. On its
download page, it says
its for XP and Windows
2000, but Id been
running it on Vista with
no problem until now.
Rob1955, Web User
Banshee is a free, lightweight media player
Forums
A Juice is no longer available, but Id
recommend a free, open-source
podcast program called gPodder
small, free podcast program. You can
also use Miro (www.getmiro.com),
VLC (www.videolan.org) or iTunes
(gpodder.org). You need to download (bit.ly/itunes396) but I personally
Python 2.7 before you can run it, find iTunes too large and bloated
though. Alternatively, give Banshee just for listening to podcasts.
(banshee.fm) a try if you want a Dave_1, Web User Forums
is 18.99 on Amazon (compared with dont degrade significantly with time
59.99 for the Roku box). After the either, but they can fail, and as with all
free trial, youre under no obligation to rechargeables theres a limit to the
pay for any of Skys services, although number of charge-discharge cycles they
youll have to remember to cancel your can endure typically around 2,000 to
subscription or youll be charged for 5,000 cycles. It sounds as if yours has
it (see Your Top Tips on page 68). reached its limit. For more information
BobClayton and jak, Web User Forums about lithium batteries, visit Battery
Universitys website at bit.ly/lithium396.
HARDWARE Sneakybeaky, Web User Forums
Whats the lifespan of a
lithium battery?
Q Can someone tell me how long the
batteries in cameras should last? Ive
had an Aiptek pocket camera for nine
years, and now the battery doesnt last
long at all, no matter how long I charge it.
awam7, Web User Forums
A Lithium-ion batteries dont suffer
from the memory effect that can
reduce the amount of charge a Nickel
battery holds, and no scheduled cycling Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in
is required to prolong their life. They portable devices

Inbox
Star Email
Dont believe misleading download speeds
I
n his letter Speed test results dont
add up in Issue 394 (bit.ly/
webuser394), Alistair Newton
expresses his confusion over the
results of broadband speed tests from
services such as Speedtest.net.
I believe that for many years ISPs
have hoodwinked us into this false
anticipation of high-speed downloads,
which are often far from realised in
practice. Many years ago, when I was
with Virgin Media (I have Sky Fibre
now), I upgraded my broadband speed
because Virgin Media claimed that by
doing so I could download an HD
movie in around 40 seconds. This
proved to be far from my experience.
After a great deal of discussion with
Virgin Medias techies, one of their
guys nally explained that such claims
are theoretical. The problem is that the
speed of any connection, whether
Is Microsoft planning to
sting us all?
Regarding the issues
raised by Barry Collins
in his column, Forcing
upgrades will backre
on Microsoft in Issue 394,
Im left wondering why
Microsoft is so desperate to get us all to
update to Windows 10.
Dont get me wrong: Im using
Windows 10 on four PCs and my
wife also uses it. Neither of us has
experienced any problems, although
we were also very satised with
Windows XP and Windows 7 (lets
not mention the terrible Vista or
the awful Windows 8/8.1).
However, my sceptical nature has
me wondering if Microsoft has a
hidden agenda in making Windows
10 free for users of Windows 7 and 8.
Is it possible that Microsoft will send
us a piece of software (or should
that be malware?) that will disable
Windows 10 until we start paying a
monthly premium to use it again? This
scenario would t Microsofts current
philosophy of charging for software
(Ofce 365) on a subscription basis.
Air your views, write to us at webuser@dennis.co.uk
uploading or downloading, depends on a
whole host of factors. These include
distance, server speeds, the number of
servers between your PC and the target
computer, the number of connections
active on your local service and so on.
It would also maximise
Microsofts prots because it
would no longer need to pay
software developers to create
a new operating system to
maintain its uninterrupted
revenue stream. Advertising costs
would also fall because Microsoft
wouldnt need to persuade us all to
update to the new version.
I hope I am wrong but Im not holding
my breath. If such a thing were ever to
ON SALE NOW!
The
Definitive
GuideTo
Windows 10
BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON
at bit.ly/guidetowindows10
Inbox
Mug
winner
In my experience, Microsoft
downloads are never quick, which is
hardly surprising when you consider
how many computers around the
world use its software. The type of
connection youre making can also
affect the speed, as some ISPs
manage speeds for certain uses. So,
for example, it might deliberately slow
a BitTorrent connection (Sky says it
doesnt do this, but many others do).
When testing my own broadband
connection, the results from
Speedtest.net have been fairly
consistent at around 38Mbps, but that
gure falls dramatically when I test
again on my wireless laptop or iPad.
The bottom line is: dont be
hoodwinked into paying for higher
speeds that may not result in faster
downloads in practice.
Ron OBrien, Luton
occur, Id hope that users would show
their disapproval by switching to an
alternative system rather than rolling
over and accepting it.
Ron Hagley, Tiverton
Bewildered by Microsofts
behaviour
The title of Barrys column says it all.
Forcing upgrades will backre on
Microsoft. I completely agree with Barry
and I hope hes right.
4 - 17 May 2016 71
Inbox
You can let us know your views and opinions via:
webuser@dennis.co.uk, www.facebook.com/webusermagazine,
www.twitter.com/webusermagazine and forum.webuser.co.uk
This is nothing to do with whether you
like or hate Windows 10; its about the
deplorable way Microsoft has tried to
foist its new operating system on users,
particularly because many of them wont
have realised what was going on.
Windows 7 and 8.1 are in line for
extended support until 2020 and 2023
respectively, so surely it should be up to
users to decide when to upgrade?
I feel that Microsofts behaviour has
been abysmal and that Barry Collins
put the companys shortcomings
concerning this update very well indeed.
Presumably, Microsoft has a target to
reach and will boast about how many
happy Windows 10 users there are.
Happy? Bewildered in many cases, I
suspect. Will Microsoft still be trying
to get recalcitrant Windows 7 and 8.1
users to install this update in August
2016, I wonder? Apparently by then the
update wont be
free any more.
Thank you
Barry, I always
enjoy your
articles, and this
one in particular
was excellent
and very much to
the point!
Madeline, Web User Forums
Windows 10 works perfectly
for me
Heres my Windows 10 experience.
Having decided that I needed to buy
a new laptop, I visited Currys PC
World. My minimum requirements
were that it should have at least three
USB slots, the ability to use a wired
mouse, a screen no smaller than
13in and, if possible, a disc drive that
would let me install Encyclopedia
Britannica from a disc. I assumed it
would be a Windows 10 computer, and
this was conrmed. Surprisingly, the
assistant said he could recommend a
product that would meet my needs.
Our 2015 Back Issues Disc is
on sale now from Amazon,
visit bit.ly/webusercd15
72 4 - 17 May 2016
YOUR WINDOWS 10 ANAGRAMS
We received an overwhelming response to our request for Windows Ten
anagrams in Issue 394. Thanks to everyone who sent them in. Here are our ve
favourites:
Endows Wit suggested by Derek Bartrip
Widens Town S Barley
Wet Swindon Clive Jenkins
Tinned Wows Louse Savage
AND OUR WINNER: Wits End Now
suggested by Ian Harvey, Gordon Cuthbert and Colin Horn,
who all win a Web User 2015 Back Issues Disc.
The suggestion was an HP Pavilion,
which was on offer for 150 less than the
previous price. I had a choice of colours:
red, blue or white.
The rst two were
horrible and
looked like toys.
The white was
fortunately very
nice, with a light
silver base and
off-white keys.
As I switched on
the laptop, I expected to see a screen
asking me to set up a password. Rather
surprisingly, this didnt happen, perhaps
because of something Currys had done. I
also expected to be faced with loads of
tiles but that was easy to avoid. In fact, I
have yet to try them and Im not sure I
need to. Ive switched off Cortana and
havent yet found the need to use Edge.
So far, I am impressed with my laptop,
and Windows 10 is much better than I
expected, probably helped by the fact
that it was installed on a new machine.
FratPark, Web User Forums
Why is it so hard to make
money online?
I have tried several methods of making
money online. The rst was Amazon Web
Services. I opted for Amazon.com
because the potential market is bigger in
America. I sold over $500 of products
for Amazon through adverts on my
website, and ended up with $30 dollars
in my Amazon.com account as a result.
However, you cant transfer this cash to
Amazon.co.uk, and if you buy brand new
CDs you end up paying more in delivery
charges than the discs cost.
The second thing I tried was Google
AdSense. I made a small amount of
money, but Google wont let you claim it
until you verify your bank account. To do
this, Google sends you a small deposit of
under 1. I typed the deposit amount into
AdSense, but Google said it was wrong,
even though I had entered the correct
amount. I was then taken to a contact
form that asked for the last two digits of
my bank account and, once again, the
deposit amount. Google wouldnt allow
me to submit the form it just said I had
to correct errors but didnt tell me where
the errors were. I then tried cancelling
my account in the hope that I would get
an email from Google allowing me to tell
them what was going on. I received no
cancellation email, and in the end I
removed Google AdSense adverts from
my website.
One thing Ive found that works quite
well are online surveys from PopulusLive
(populuslive.com) and GfK (www.askgfk

.co.uk), both of which
pay out regularly. Also,
Nielsen Homescan (www
.homescan.ca) lets you
collect points that you
can use to order things
from its website.
Id be grateful for any
tips from your readers
on making money online.
Adrian Bonnington,
Northampton
More ado about music
streaming
In response to all the letters in Issue 395
(bit.ly/webuser395) about my Spotify
comments, it seems I have some egg on
my face, and I hold up my hands. I would
still say, however, that the major
streaming companies such as Spotify
and Apple cater for the younger
generation, in the main.
I dont listen to the radio except on the
internet, which is where I nd most of the
music I like. I wouldnt trust Google with
my dead relatives, let alone my music
preferences or my bank card details.
I have been dealing with Amazon for
14 years, and because my music
downloads are now also stored in the
cloud, I have uploaded all my music to its
site. Ive never had any serious problems
with Amazon. Although I have a lot of
music on my tablet and phone, which I
can take with me on holiday, I can access
the lot through the Amazon Music app if
I get cheap or free Wi-Fi while Im away. I
nd Oldies.com (www.oldies.com) and
CD Universe (www.cduniverse.com) in
the US very good for old music. I cant
get on Amazon there.
Does anybody watch old episodes of
Cold Case on Sky
Atlantic? They
play some great
tracks on their
very sad
episodes by
groups Ive
never heard of
and whose full
CDs I would never
buy. For example,
they played a track at the end of one
episode from Groove Armada. To be fair,
Richie Havens (pictured) was singing on
that track, which was one of his last. I
managed to nd it on Amazon.
Martin Fletcher, Thorpe Hesley
Air your views, write to us at webuser@dennis.co.uk
What you
say...
D O YOU LIKE THE NEW
DARK THEME FOR
WINDOWS 10 (pictured)?
Its so ugly just like the regular
Windows 10 (and 8). Even Windows
XP looks much better.
ZoNi @zoniweb
No, I prefer the bright side of life.
Jenny Jacks @JenJacks3
Yes, Ill denitely use it. Less
stress on the monitor and your
electricity bill!
Chris Panayi
Yes, I think Ill give it a go. Its easy
on the eyes, and I dont like the
screen to be too bright. Come over
to the dark side!
tyson pashley @tysonpashley
Yes. A dark theme means that your
battery lasts longer, and you can see
the screen better at night.
Jack @imthegoldmaster
S OME MIGHT SAY THAT
270 IS EXPENSIVE FOR
THE NEW KINDLE OASIS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Its far too expensive. I much prefer
books anyway.
Madeline
It looks nice and the cover is useful,
but its disappointing that it doesnt
Inbox
have a colour screen. It is also very
expensive. I will stick with my Kindle
Paperwhite.
FratPark
I was disappointed when I heard
this announcement because I feel
it doesnt do enough to justify
the price. Perhaps a colour screen or
integration with Alexa and Amazon
Echo would have made it more
appealing. Im quite happy with my
Paperwhite and the Kindle app on
the iPad.
Ezyduzzit
Its about 170 too expensive. If my
Paperwhite ever gives up the ghost, Ill
buy another one.
Doublell
A GROUP OF 50 MPs
HAVE SAID THAT
BROADBAND ADVERTISING IS
MISLEADING (bit.ly/bband396).
DO YOU AGREE?
Only in that not all people are
aware that advertised speeds
are megabits per second, not
megabytes, so they are confused
when they download something
and get three megabytes, not 24.
Dave Harper
Absolutely. My brother did a speed
test on his 100Mbps broadband
from Virgin and was only getting
106Mbps! But seriously, when he
had 20Mbps from Sky, he got
less than 2Mbps. Tethering over
4G on his mobile was faster!
John Scott
Yes, they are confusing and
deliberately so, I believe.
Richard Morgan
That has been the case for years,
so why has it taken until now for
MPs to realise it? What about
the line-rental rip-off, which now
costs 18 per month? Why are
we forced to have a landline at all
when it is completely unnecessary
for those of us who have cable?
Joe_London
4 - 17 May 2016 73
 Page 404
Dont believe the hype theres nothing yet
thats ready to kill off email, says Barry Collins
Email isnt dead,
you muppets
I
remember the rst time I ever
encountered email. I was sitting at a
PC in a sixth-form computing class
when my teacher explained it was
now possible to send messages to our
classmates simply by entering their name
in the To: eld, writing the message and
pressing Send. Eyes lit up. Knowing
glances were exchanged. Keyboards
began to rattle. Within seconds a
message arrived in my inbox from my
mate sitting two rows behind me. It
comprised just one word: Muppet.
That single piece of teenage
tomfoolery sums up everything thats
right and wrong with email. Even then, I
knew that the ability to send electronic
messages in an instant, at zero cost,
was going to be a life-changer the
reason I would spend countless hours
in the computing rooms at university,
waiting to find out which pub we were
meeting in tonight or how my mates at
other universities were getting on. But
it was also immediately apparent that
email would be a massive time sink,
74 4 - 17 May 2016
that effortless, cost-free messaging non-league football clubs is trying
would be wantonly abused. My pal desperately to wean itself off it.
wouldnt have paid 20p for a stamp to Apps such as Slack (slack.com) and
send me a one-word insult, after all. Basecamp (basecamp.com) the
Now, 20-something years later, I look so-called email killers are making
at my email account and I want to weep. inroads, replacing internal email with
The inbox has somewhere in the region instant messaging, message boards and
of 350,000 messages in it and I shared document stores. They work
reckon I delete 75% of the emails I brilliantly, killing off almost all internal
receive within email in a couple of
seconds. In the past the organisations
30 days, its I look at my inbox I work for, but
received almost will they drill the
3,000 messages
and I want to weep. It has coffin lid shut?
that Gmail has somewhere in the region of Not a prayer.
identified as spam, Slack and
350,000 messages in it
and thats just the Basecamp are
stuff Google isnt superb for
sure about. The other 99% of messages inter-team communication, but theyre
that Google is absolutely sure are junk hopeless for communicating with the
never even make it as far as the Spam outside world. If companies want to
folder. And thats only my primary email send me press releases, or other
account: I have five more. non-league clubs want to confirm a
Email is so fundamentally broken fixture, they still need an email address
that every organisation I work with be to send it to. Even Slack and Basecamp
it publishers, big corporations or demand that I register with an email
address, so they can send me alerts and
daily updates of activity among my
teams. Slacks marketing slogan? Less
email. More productive. My email inbox
contains something like 2,000
messages received from Slack in the
past six months and those are just the
ones I havent deleted.
Face it, email is still irreplaceable. The
list of things you still need email for
communicating with clients, receiving
Illustration: Andrew Torrens
your utility bills, registering with
Amazon, Facebook and pretty much
any other major website you can
mention still requires that you have an
@ after your name. By all means
experiment with Slack, Basecamp and
the like, but if anyone tells you these
apps will kill off your email completely,
theres only one word for them: Muppet.
Do you agree? Let us know at webuser@dennis.co.uk
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